Other than getting married, it was the usual not-so-fun summer for Marek Svatos. He became a husband, but his other frequent companions were doctors and trainers, trying to help him overcome his latest serious hockey injury. That’s the way it has been for much of the last three summers.
Svatos officially made it back from his latest ailment — a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee — by playing in Wednesday’s Avalanche preseason game against the Dallas Stars at the Pepsi Center, which Colorado won 3-1.
Svatos said he felt “pretty good” in his return. He played with several line partners, but frequently with Paul Stastny and Ryan Smyth, and he got a couple of scoring chances in the third period.
“The hands aren’t there yet, but it was a good test for my knee,” Svatos said. “For my first game in seven months, it wasn’t bad. I’m just glad to play the game again.”
Things were going great for Svatos when his 2007-08 season suddenly ended after he was caught off balance and knocked into the boards by former Avs defenseman Jon Klemm in an early March game against the Los Angeles Kings. Tests revealed the torn ACL, and doctors said it would be six to eight months before he would play again.
At the time, Svatos had 26 goals in 62 games and was playing the best all-around hockey of his career, evidenced by his plus-13. He missed the playoffs for the second time in three years because of injury, the previous time in 2005-06 because of shoulder surgery. He missed the final few games of the 2006-07 season with groin problems.
For a player whose game is predicated on speed and quickness, an ACL injury is a serious concern. Svatos, 26, isn’t pretending it’s not still on his mind. But the more games he plays, the more distance he puts between that bad night in March, and the more Svatos figures he’ll forget about it. Still, he will have to wear a brace on the knee for the season and probably the rest of his career.
“I was a little scared before the game,” he said. “But after the first couple shifts, it got better. I’m still a little lost out there, but I think the next couple of games will help a lot. The more I play, the better. I think I can still be as quick as I was, but the brace is a little different getting used to it.”
The Avs improved their preseason record to 3-0-1 with their second win over Dallas in the last week. Goals by Smyth, David Jones and T.J. Hensick were enough for goalie Peter Budaj, who looked good in getting the win.
Jones’ goal was the prettiest of the night, after a rush down the right side and little chip shot past goalie Matt Climie.
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
