Winnipeg Sun
Tuesday, February 19, 2002
By Ken Wiebe -- Winnipeg Sun

This was a flashback that Brad Leeb didn't care to relive.

Just over a year ago, Leeb suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee that kept him out of the Kansas City Blades lineup for six weeks.

Because of the injury, the talented Manitoba Moose right-winger wears a knee brace and that brace may have saved him from another lengthy term on the sidelines.

When he fell to the ice, Leeb's thoughts turned to the past.

"The same injury happened last year, but it was more severe," said Leeb, who is fourth in scoring for Manitoba with 17 goals and 35 points in 53 games. "I definitely think the knee brace helped because it felt like a harder hit, but the brace took a lot out of it.

"It's just a little scary because I know how it feels and what the injury is all about. I don't want to go through all that again."

Leeb saw a doctor yesterday afternoon and doesn't expect to be on the sidelines long, although he won't likely be ready for the weekend set in Hamilton against the Bulldogs.

This is the second serious knee-to-knee collision a Moose player has been involved in during the past two weeks.

Right-winger Herbert Vasiljevs suffered a season-ending knee injury after he was hit in the offensive zone by Quebec Citadelles centre Eric Landry.

The hit on Leeb came on the right-wing boards in the defensive zone.

"I got the puck on the side wall and I knew he was coming at me, I just wasn't paying too much attention to him because I wanted to get the puck to my centreman," said Leeb. "I turned to go up the boards and avoid his check. He would have missed me but he stuck his knee out.

"As soon as I got hit, I knew I was injured. You know those things because I went through it and I could feel me knee move and could feel it was a problem."

HELPED FROM ICE

Leeb was helped from the ice and he went immediately to the Moose dressing room.

"It's just the severity that's going through your mind, you don't know how bad it is," said Leeb. "It's very hard to diagnose in your head right away because there is so much pain. After you calm down a bit, you realize that the brace did help me and it shouldn't be that bad. It shouldn't even be close to (six weeks)."

The injury couldn't come at a worse time for Leeb, who broke a 12-game pointless drought with a goal in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Maple Leafs.

"Yeah, it's frustrating," said Leeb.

"It's frustrating when you don't score for 12 games, it's not like a felt I was playing bad but I finally got the goal. You score a goal and you get a little bit more confidence and jump in your step. You start to feel really good about things and things look like they're going to turn around, then you get something like this.

"But at this point it's done and I just have to deal with it and look to when I can come back."

And with offensive talents like Vasiljevs and centre Harold Druken already out for the season with injury, the Moose are hoping Leeb is back sooner rather than later.



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