Nov 14, 2008 - 2:13 AM
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Bieksa originally was injured while on the receiving end of a shot off the stick of teammate Michel Ouellet in a 4-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on November 4. The blue-liner played three more games before seeking medical attention, according to the Vancouver Sun.
"It's tough," Bieksa told the newspaper. "The team is rolling and playing well right now, and it's going to be tough not being a part of it. I'm fortunate it's only going to be a short time here.
"I'm hoping it's sooner than two weeks, but we have to give the bone time to heal. If I get hit there again, it might get to the point where I would need surgery or something. We don't want it to get to the point where it's months instead of weeks."
The 27-year-old Bieksa leads all Vancouver defensemen with three goals and eight assists while logging an average of 24 minutes, 38 seconds of ice time.
Bieksa missed 46 games last season after suffering a lacerated right calf when hit by the skate of Nashville's Vernon Fiddler during a game on November 1. He was placed on injured reserve a day later.
The Ontario native recorded two goals, 10 assists and 90 penalty minutes last campaign. A fifth-round pick of Vancouver in 2001, Bieksa has registered 14 goals and 46 assists in 156 career games.
Fellow blue-liner Sami Salo did not practice Thursday due to what Canucks coach Alain Vigneault called a bruised shoulder, according to the newspaper. He is day-to-day.
