Push a separated rib back into place, and it’s safe to say you’re looking at some lengthy time off - eventually, anyway.
That’s what Montreal Canadiens rugged forward Brandon Prust did last May, when he suffered a separated rib and then pushed it back into place during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarter-final series against the Ottawa Senators.
Courageous, to put it one way. The Habs, dealing with the playoff inevitability of injuries, didn’t last much longer, losing the series in five games. Prust didn’t play in Game 5.
After at least a full month off to recover from the injury, Prust, who completed his first season with the Canadiens, began his off-season workouts.
“It depends on the injuries,” Prust told Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette. “Bumps and bruises might take a couple weeks, so you go lay on a beach and relax.
“But this summer, I had the ribs that I couldn’t do anything with for four or five weeks. Once they healed up and I felt confident with them, I got right back into training.”