Ovechkin hit leaves Campbell with broken clavicle, rib
March 16, 2010
CBSSports.com wire reports
Blackhawks team doctor Michael Terry said Tuesday that Campbell will likely avoid surgery and is expected to make a full recovery. The Blackhawks' regular season ends April 11.
Ovechkin drove Campbell into the boards from behind in the first period of Sunday's game. Campbell stayed on the ice for several minutes. Ovechkin, the NHL's leading scorer, drew a game misconduct penalty for the hit and on Monday got a two-game suspension.
Ovechkin said he was "disappointed" by the NHL's decision and was sorry for the injury that came on what he thought was "just a little push." Ovechkin will miss games Tuesday at Florida and Thursday at Carolina.
The injuries mean the 30-year-old Campbell's streak of consecutive regular-season games, which reached 388 on Sunday, is over. He could be return by mid-May if the Blackhawks are still in the playoffs.
Campbell, a three-time All Star in the second year of an eight-year, $56.8 million contract after signing as a free agent before last season, ranks second among Blackhawks defensemen in goals (seven), assists (31) and points (38). He is a plus-18 and the Blackhawks will miss his speed.
Campbell has 14 goals and 76 assists in 150 regular-season games with Chicago and two goals and eight assists in 17 playoff games. He also played for Buffalo and San Jose.
Chicago has struggled since the Olympic break, going 3-4 since resuming play March 2.
Second in the Western Conference to San Jose, Chicago has lost two straight games, blowing third-period leads against Philadelphia and Washington. The Blackhawks begin a challenging three-game road trip Wednesday against Anaheim, followed by games against the Los Angeles Kings and Phoenix Coyotes.
big loss for the Hawks
