I suffered a high ankle sprain on February 21 and so far it is proving to be a frustrating setback. Injuries are part of playing hockey and the way you approach the rehabilitation process says a lot about the player and person. I got to whine and complain for a day or two but now everyday is about approaching my rehab the same way I approach a normal practice day. That means instead of on ice work and some time in the gym I am doing light exercises, coordination drills, riding the bike and icing. All of this is designed to give my ankle the necessary rest it needs to heal while keeping my muscles active.

This injury also means a lot of couch time. So far I have been using that time to dive into the TV show "Dexter," play a little Nintendo Wii and read a few books.

In honor of my mask contest I am hoping to have a new design on the ice when I return from injury. Ray Bishop is putting the finishing touches on a mask that I can wear with our third jersey. I wanted to have a little fun and do something different so I have a mask coming that uses traditional Japanese tattoo symbols including a dragon and a tiger which both have great meaning (which would take a long time to explain).  I am a big fan of tattoo art but I am too big of a wimp to actually get any work done so my mask becomes that canvas. It will have some very subtle references to the Sabres and some great examples of the classic tattoo art so I am excited to see it as a finished product.