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Retirement ‘furthest thing from my mind,’ Kelly says after broken femur

Chris Kelly

Chris Kelly

AP

It was a nasty injury, one that many figured would be a career-ender.

But for the guy it happened to -- veteran Bruins forward Chris Kelly -- his broken femur won’t stop him from returning to play.

“That’s the furthest thing from my mind,” Kelly said on Thursday, per the Boston Globe. “I think age, in my opinion, is just a mind-set. I felt great coming into camp this year. The great thing about hockey is, as someone said, you always feel like you’re 24 even if you’re 19 or you’re 34.”

Kelly, who turned 35 earlier this month, suffered the broken femur on Nov. 3 against Dallas and was immediately ruled out for the season. The injury will sideline him for the next 6-8 months and, given he’s in the unenviable position of being in his final contract year, it’s clear to see why some thought retirement was inevitable.

Kelly, though, is thinking otherwise -- and making steps to try and speed up his recovery process. He’s already had the staples removed from his leg and, after a doctor positively reviewed his X-ray, there is hope he could resume riding a stationary bike by next week.

Kelly also isn’t ruling out a return for the postseason, should the Bruins make it there.