Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Niittymaki out 4-to-6 weeks

The Philadelphia Flyers announced on Monday that goaltender Antero Niittymaki will be out the next four-to-six weeks after undergoing surgery on his left hip.

Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren stated that Niittymaki has already begun the rehab process and that he could be back sooner depending on his progress.

"Last Friday, Antero had a small surgical procedure done on his left hip where he had some fluid drained and also some loose bodies that were in his joint," said Holmgren. "This was more of a clean-up process performed by Dr. Thomas Byrd at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. Right now, we anticipate him being out for four-to-six weeks. Obviously, that could change depending on how Antero feels."

The 28-year-old Niittymaki appeared in 28 games last season and went 12-9-2 with a 2.91 goals-against average with one shutout. Over four seasons in the NHL, all with the Flyers, he is 47-53-17 with three shutouts and a 3.08 GAA in 129 games.

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