Sabres C Connolly to have hip surgery

Mar 22, 2008 - 4:48 AM BUFFALO, New York (Ticker) -- Buffalo Sabres center Tim Connolly will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a bone spur in his hip, the team announced on Friday.

The 26-year-old Connolly, who has recorded seven goals and 33 assists in 48 games this season, will have the procedure done in Vail, Colorado on Monday.

"I was told by the doctors here to have it done," Connolly said. "They recommended it because there was potential to make it a lot worse."

Connolly intended to undergo the operation following the season and was attempting to battle through the pain.

"The team and I have been thinking about surgery for a while, it wasn't an overnight decision," Connolly said. "It's gotten to the point where I can't recover at all, pain-wise. It's constant pain, day and night."

The Syracuse native, who was selected fifth overall by the New York Islanders in the 1999 draft, missed a total of 26 games this season with an abdominal strain, the flu and the injured hip.

Connolly has been severely injured before, missing the entire 2003-04 season after recovering from a head injury suffered in a preseason game against Chicago on October 2, 2003.

He also played in just two games in 2006-07, when he was recovering from post-concussion syndrome related to the head injury suffered in Game 2 of the 2006 Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The 6-1, 190-pounder, who was acquired from the Islanders along with Taylor Pyatt for Michael Peca on June 24, 2001, has registered 70 goals and 241 points in 438 career games.