As bad as this might sound, Komets forward David Hukalo has torn back muscles -- and that might be a good thing. When Hukalo was hit on Dec. 26 in Muskegon, the initial fear was that his surgically repaired shoulders might be in trouble, but he was able to come back and play a few games before getting a concussion and going on injured reserve.
During his time on IR, Komets trainer Shawn Dundon was determined to find out what was wrong with Hukalo's prepetually hurting back. Turns out the veteran has torn muscles.
``I've done every test possible and it's not bone, so they say it's all muscle,'' Hukalo said. ``Where I hurt it, they just say it takes time to heal. There's not a lot they can do with it, so just rest.''
Hukalo started a new treatment on Wednesday, deep tissue massage with Komets massage therapist Steve Grogg. Hukalo said he's hoping to be able to return in a couple of weeks. He's eligible to come off IR at any time.
``It feels a lot better than it did four weeks ago,'' Hukalo said. ``It's getting there.''
Comments
It will be nice to have Huk back!
Any reason why the Frankes did not go after Larocque? Musky signed him
http://www.muskegonlumberjacks.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=752:lumberjacks-sign-larocque&catid=52:news&Itemid=56
Couldn't afford him under the salary cap.
Remember, no matter what, its all about the money
While Mario is a fine hockey player he is the King of Misconducts...He sure would have helped on the PP though
Salary Cap concerns dont seem to be bothering Muskegon...
do you know their payroll??? opened a lot up with big snake taking a powder..
JR is dead on.
The FuryJack Payroll has to be wwwwaaaaayyyy over the cap. Just lookk at their roster folks. I doubt Mario is playing for pasta.
Does Mario still have his butt-end of the stick handle attached to his belly so he can lean over it and relax on the ice???
The only thing that Musky saved on by getting rid of Snake is twinkies and beer.....
Muskys loading up, they my as well go out with a bang.
With Muskegon ignoring the cap... The IHL has really become the league of the haves vs. have nots.. FW, PH, Musky... Then you have the other 4 teams.. I'm really rooting for the 4 seed to make some noise come playoff time. I'd like to see Dayton get in. Every once in a while its nice to see the underdog get ahead.
No one knows for sure if Muskegon is ignoring the salary cap. I highly doubt that they could get away with it. Each contract has to be approved before the announcement of the signing by the league. Maybe he made a lot of money playing in Europe and now wants to play for a ring. Also remember that Muskegon has some guys on IR also. Anyway, the only thing that I know for sure is that Mario Larocque can really slam a penalty box door shut when he sets his mind to it.
I've been wondering how Muskegon is doing it all year long also as far as the cap goes. Are we paying certain people on the K's way too much because they are fan favorites or are we just being told we are at or close to the cap so no one else is brought in who will cost too much money? Are those numbers made available anywhere to the public or is that another of the IHL's top secret classified files? Maybe Muskegon is just better than the K's at arranging the salaries so they can bring in people, I really don't know. If anyone has any of these answers, please share.
Alan, I just read your post and agree about the penalty box. About the only one I'd put into his category would be Brent Henley. I remember the last year he was here he was so pissed that he slammed the door and it shook the glass down that entire side of the ice. Problem was, he slammed it so hard it kept coming back open, which of course pissed him off more, resulting in more violent slamming. He almost ripped down that entire side of the rink. Finally, probably out of fear of losing the rink, the guy in the box with him gently closed the door for him. Henley was like a caged beast and I'll never forget it. Classic night in the Jungle.
Why would Musky care about the cap??? They have already announced that they are folding at the end of the season and I'm sure they want to send their fans out in style... "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead".......
You are very correct, Frozen Water. I remember Henley throwing a fit and the door just wouldn't stay shut. That was classic. I believe that Henley would be the champion door slammer......regarding the salary cap, the way I understand it is that each week they can only spend up to a set amount of money for player salaries. The league has to approve any new contract by reviewing everything and then the team can make the announcement. There were rules set up before the season regarding the different length IR lists and how those would affect the salary cap. I believe the league loosened those rules a month or so ago because Muskegon got caught with a rash of injuries and the league thought it bad to just bring in less talented (and less expensive) players just to be able to put a team on the ice. I believe they said they always wanted to provide a quality product for the fans. I'm sure that no one except league officials would be able to look at the "books." I mean, that is why they hire people in the league office. Just to make sure everything is up and up..... One interesting thought, however, is this. A few years ago the Port Huron team was owned by the City of Port Huron. As such, everyone associated with the team were actually city employees and all records had to be available and open to the average tax payer. One could have researched salaries, equipment expense, arena rent, league dues, insurance premiums, travel expense, etc. and actually got a pretty darn close figure on what an operating cost of a hockey team was. Hey Forzen Water, I'm not an expert and I'm sure that other people who read this blog could answer your question much better than me. I've probably forgotten some things but hopefully you get the idea.
Thanks, Alan. Great post! I think you've hit it on the head pretty well. Granted, we can't know all the aspects of everything, but it's interesting food for thought.
You should not put "KING-KONG HENLEY" in the penalty box.
Muskegon made some roster moves to make room for Larocque. D-Man Russell Smith was sent to Dayton to complete an earlier trade; D-Man Iain McPhee was waived and picked up by Dayton.