Lightning C Lecavalier to have surgery

Apr 5, 2008 - 6:08 PM TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- Tampa Bay Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier will undergo surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder, the team announced Saturday.

Lecavalier suffered the injury with 13:15 remaining in the third period of Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals when he was checked into teammate Michel Ouellet by Matt Cooke.

The All-Star fell to the ice awkwardly following the collision and was in obvious pain. He retreated to the locker room after being attended to by a team trainer.

No date has been set for the surgery that will keep Lecavalier sidelined for 12-15 weeks. The Lightning expect that he will not miss the start of training camp in September.

"While I'm disappointed to be facing surgery at this time, I'm looking forward to working hard during the summer to be ready for training camp in September," Lecavalier said.

Lecavalier returned to Tampa on Friday, and an evaluation by team physician Dr. Ira Guttentag confirmed the dislocated shoulder. The injury will keep Lecavalier out of the hockey world championships, which are set for May 2-18 in Canada.

Lecavalier, 27, finished the season as the Lightning's leading scorer with 40 goals and 92 points. Tampa Bay, which did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs, concludes its season at Atlanta on Saturday.