Rochester, NY: AMERKS CAPTAIN SUFFERS SECOND MAJOR INJURY IN TWO SEASONS

Scott Nichol was informed yesterday that he could possibly be facing season-
ending knee surgery for the second consecutive year. Dr. Robert Bronstein,
the Rochester team physician, recommended surgery after an MRI revealed a torn
anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) as well as a possible cartilage tear in his
right knee.
Nichol has asked for time to decide while he tests a brace, hoping that he
can finish this season after reconstruction surgery on his right shoulder
sidelined him in January 1998, forcing him to miss the rest of that season.
He's hoping that it will help, but the optimism is limited. Nichol says that
he can walk, but as soon as he extends his knee he begins to fel unstable,
like the knee is going to hyperextend. If Nichol does in fact undergo the
surgery, it would mean a six to eight-month rehabilitation period, meaning he
could miss the team's training camp for next season as well as the start of
next season. It also means that Nichol's chances for moving on in his career,
especially in the expansion draft for the Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL, are
fading fast.
Updates on the injury will continue as the events transpire.

Go Amerks!
Jon D. LeRoy,
List Moderator,
Sr. GA Correspondent