Timonen talks about his injury

Flyers Defenseman Kimmo Timonen - May 8, 2008

Q: What is your reaction to what has happened?
Timonen: “Hugely disappointed obviously. I was not expecting to get this result this morning. It’s the most disappointing thing in my hockey life for sure.

Q: What are the doctors telling you?
Timonen: “It’s a blood clot. They were able to see it really well. They were thinking about a couple of options, either having surgery and try to remove it, but the best option for me I think is going on clot thinners and hopefully those things help.”

Q: Are they telling you how long it might take for the blood clot to thin out?
Timonen: “Nobody knows that, but I started today and we are going to have a check up at the end of next week. Nobody really knows. It’s probably individual how that blood thinner works.”

Q: Emotionally what is this like for you?
Timonen: “It’s an awful feeling. I was expecting to play tomorrow and you go into the hospital to make sure everything is all right and come out knowing that the season is over pretty much. How many times in your life do you get the chance to play in the Conference Finals and maybe the Stanley Cup Finals? So it is the most disappointing moment in my life hockey wise.”

Q: Your team has overcome injuries before. You have been a real key to your team’s success. What do you see happening here?
Timonen: “Exactly like you said, we had some key guys out of the lineup the whole year and now hopefully somebody can take my role. I am sure there is going to be somebody playing really well. I am just hoping this is not a huge distraction for the team because now we are talking about the (Eastern) Conference Finals and hopefully those guys can focus on winning the game tomorrow. I am sure everybody is really focused and ready to go tomorrow.”

Q: How big is the clot?
Timonen: “I was not able to see. It is noticeable, but I cannot say how big it is.”

Q: You have been through a similar injury like this before in Nashville haven’t you?
Timonen: “Like five years ago in a similar situation, I got hit by the puck, same ankle. A lot of pain came and there was a blood clot.”

Q: Do you remember when this injury happened in the game?
Timonen: “It happened the last shift of the game. I think we were killing a penalty or it was 6-on-5 and I think it was (Andrei) Markov who shot it from the point and it hit my ankle.”

Q: What did they do after that?
Timonen: “We treated it like it was a normal bone bruise and it felt like it too. We iced it down and did the exact same thing we do with this kind of injury. In Game 5 in Montreal, I started feeling a little numbness in my toes and I was able to play through it that game and it was a little painful. Sunday we had a day off and Monday we practiced, same kind of feeling, a little numbness on my toes and Tuesday we had a day off and yesterday same kind of feeling and we decided to do a check up and see what is going on there and today we found out.”

Q: Did you have any idea, with a past similar injury, that this could be what it was?
Timonen: “Not at all because last time when I had it five years ago it was really painful, I couldn’t sleep at night and this time I have been sleeping pretty well. This has not been as painful at all like it was five years ago. I wasn’t expecting to get this kind of result.”

Q: What did the doctors tell you in terms of the risk factor if you tried to play and got hit in the same area?
Timonen: “I asked the doctor the worst case scenario what could happen and he said, ‘if you get hit there again the blood clot might break up and go down to your toes and then we have to cut off your toes’ so that is not a very good scenario.”

Q: Where are you right now?
Timonen: “I am at home right now.”

Q: Are you allowed to do any exercise?
Timonen: “I didn’t ask anything about exercise. We are going to do a check up next week and see if it’s any better and kind of go from there.”

Q: What is the best-case scenario?
Timonen: “That hopefully it is better next week. I honestly asked the doctor do you have any hope playing this series and he said only if it really goes well the next week and a half to two weeks.”

Q: Have you spoken to any of your teammates?
Timonen: “I have a lot of text messages, but it’s been a busy day, so I have not had the chance to talk to anybody besides my parents and my brothers. I am going to talk to Sami (Kapanen) probably tonight and I am going to give John Stevens a call tonight too.”

Q: Are you going to make any trips to Pittsburgh or are you going to stay home?
Timonen: “I actually talked to our team guy and I would like to be there tomorrow, but we will see if that is a possibility. I would like to be there that’s for sure.”

Q: Do you still have to ice it?
Timonen: ” No.”