Almost two months to the day after suffering a season-ending knee injury, Canadiens defenceman Andrei Markov vowed to bounce back when he addressed the Montreal media on Friday.
Markov, who blew out his right ACL after getting hit by Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal in a 7-2 Montreal win on Nov. 13, went to Birmingham, Alabama in December to have his knee re-built by reputed specialist James Andrews.
The veteran defenceman admitted there’s a chance he may never be the same after undergoing a second major knee scope on the same knee. However, the Russian blueliner remains positive he can continue to be an impact player in the NHL.
“Of course I’m not going to be the same; I’m going to be better,” Markov said jokingly. “There’s always a risk. At the same time when I step on the ice, I want to be 100 per cent.”
Markov first tore his ACL in the second round of the playoffs last spring. He is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but said he is committed to staying in Montreal.
“If Pierre Gauthier wants to talk to me, he knows where I am.”
