Fanelli’s future still cloudy
Posted Nov 25, 2010 03:44:15 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It was a positive day at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
17-year old defenseman Ben Fanelli returned to practice and, for the first time in 13 months, he stayed on the ice for every drill — including those that involved contact.
Head coach Steve Spott has his promising young defenseman back.
“He smiled when I barked at him a couple of times and I gave him a little bit of a wink and that’s going to be a part of this now,” Spott says happily. “He’s back out and when we do our forecheck or D-zone coverage drills, his expectations are going to be no different than a Murphy or a Doornbosch. That’s the level that I know he wants to get to.”
Spott wants Fanelli to get there, too.
“He wants so, so desperately to play again for our hockey club and come out of that tunnel on a Friday night. That would be a dream come true for a lot of us,” Spott admits.
But a dream is what it remains.
Spott is adamant when he talks about this being the latest step in Fanelli’s recovery, something Fanelli can add to his “own personal rehab file” and show doctors at future appointments in hopes they’ll give him the green light to play.
For now, that light remains red.
“There is absolutely zero timeline — and I can’t be emphatic enough about that. There is a zero timeline with regards to return to play, and we’re not even close to that yet,” Spott insists.
For now Fanelli, in full cage, will continue to take part in full practices. And while the Rangers continue to shelter Fanelli from the glare of the media spotlight, his smile at practice today spoke volumes. He was back in his element, digging for pucks and accepting and returning the jostling that comes in practice.
“This is a positive step for a lot of reasons. It’s positive for our hockey club and for Ben’s personal psyche,” says Spott.
The Rangers host Sarnia on Friday night.
