No surprise here! Now if only I can find someone
to sell my tickets too for the Florida vs Edmonton
game in Edmonton ... Anyone got
$200?<br><br><br>Panthers' Hedican out 4-to-8 weeks<br> SUNRISE, Fla. (AP)
-- Florida Panthers defenseman Bret Hedican could
miss the first two months of the season with a broken
jaw, coach Duane Sutter said Monday. <br><br> Hedican
broke his jaw in the team's exhibition finale against
Tampa Bay on Saturday. Jimmie Olvestad accidentally
struck him in the face with his stick while following
through on a clearing attempt. <br><br> Hedican was taken
to Cleveland Clinic Hospital in Weston, where he
underwent surgery to straighten his jaw and wire it shut.
He was released from the hospital Monday afternoon.
<br><br> Sutter said Hedican will be sidelined 4-to-8
weeks. <br><br> "We still haven't gotten the final call
as far as his time goes," Sutter said. "Until
there's something really put down on paper or cemented,
it's a pretty big window, 4-to-8 weeks." <br><br>
Hedican's injury hurts the Panthers, not only because he is
one of their top defenseman, but also because his
speed was meshing well with the team's increased pace
up front. <br><br> "It's a tough blow in the last
exhibition game to lose a quality player and person like
him," general manager Bill Torrey said. "He had a
really good camp. He came in not only wanting to have a
strong camp, but he also was looking forward to taking a
shot at making the U.S. Olympic team." <br><br>
Hedican came to Florida from Vancouver in 1999 as part of
the Pavel Bure trade. He had an assist and six
penalty minutes in four preseason games. <br><br> Sutter
said veteran Jeff Norton, signed as a free agent in
July, will need to fill the void left by Hedican's
injury. <br><br> "He's a guy who can definitely get the
puck going," Sutter said of Norton. "He's got to be
good. That's what we're left with, and we'll deal with
it every day." <br><br> The Panthers also might be
without left wing Peter Worrell for the season opener.
<br><br> Worrell has a groin injury and did not practice
Monday. Torrey said Worrell probably will be placed on
injured reserve for Thursday night's opener at
Philadelphia. <br><br> "We don't want to get into a situation
where we push him too fast and then he's blown a month
or five weeks," Torrey said. "We're being very
cautious with him."