Canucks’ Ryan Kesler: ‘Small victories here and there’ in hip surgery recovery

VANCOUVER - It wasn't riveting stuff by any stretch of the imagination. Two guys in golf shirts standing in a rink in Livonia, Mich., talking hockey. Worse yet, the sound was bad. You could plainly hear the voice of the new host of Canucks TV, but his guest was, well to be honest, a little muffled.
Yet the three-minute clip did have one overwhelming quality. It had Ryan Kesler(notes).
Take into consideration it was Kesler's first public interview since undergoing hip surgery four weeks ago, the fact the B. C. Lions are in the midst of a bye-week and, most importantly, the boss wanted something on the progress of the Vancouver Canuck and there's no way we're going to get him until the team is good and ready to make him available, we'll take it.
Twice during the segment - shot Thursday and uploaded to canucks. com on Monday - Kesler mentioned playing in Vancouver's regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Which means, based on his sheer will and determination alone, not to mention the news coming out of Steel City, fans will have a better chance of seeing him on Oct. 6 than Sidney Crosby(notes).
"It's going good; small victories here and there, " Kesler told Joey Kenward, who replaces Kristen Reid as the face of Canucks TV. "I just got off my crutches and I'll start strengthening so everything is back to normal. I'll start skating here in the next couple of weeks and hopefully be back by that first game. "
Kesler underwent a similar hip labrum surgery in 2007 and was back in time for the start of the playoffs, a span of 72 days. He has 78 days to reach his current goal.
“I know what it takes, ” continued Kesler. “I know the rehab and I may be a little braver trying to the things I shouldn't be trying. It's going to make me come back quicker and hopefully I can play that first game. ”
The Selke Trophy winner took a moment to discuss the death of former teammate Rick Rypien(notes). The two played together since their days with the AHL's Manitoba Moose and sat near each other in the Canucks’ locker room.

“He's a great dude. A really good guy. A really good dude. It's really sad, ” said Kesler, 27 “He's a friend, a teammate. We've been going to war for each other as long as I've remembered. I played with him during the lockout in Manitoba and we've been on a journey together ever since. For me to hear the news, it was tough. It makes you think about everything. You can't take anything for granted. Obviously, he was going through some personal issues … My thoughts go out to his family and friends. We're all thinking about him. ”
Nothing was off topic as Kesler also spoke about the changes to the Canucks for this coming season, albeit without going into too much detail. Gone from last year's Stanley Cup run are defenceman Christian Ehrhoff(notes) along with wingers Raffi Torres(notes) and Tanner Glass(notes). Recent acquisitions include Marco Sturm(notes), some minor league hopefuls and two a couple of seasoned vets on professional tryout contracts.
“I like the fact we're bringing back a lot of guys, ” said the Canucks’ second-line centre. “We still basically have the same team we did last year and we're making additions. I like the moves they've made and I like our chances this year. ”