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    Remy Mastey
    Remy Mastey
    Sep 19, 2024, 21:14

    This season marks a new beginning for Taylor Hall as he is fully healthy heading into the 2024-25 season.

    This season marks a new beginning for Taylor Hall as he is fully healthy heading into the 2024-25 season.

    David Banks-Imagn Images - Taylor Hall Has New Appreciation For Hockey After Suffering Serious Knee Injury

    Taylor Hall is officially back for the Chicago Blackhawks.

    After months of watching his team from afar, Hall hit the ice with his teammates for the first time at the start of training camp on Wednesday.

    After playing just 10 games for Chicago last year, Hall suffered a knee injury in November, which required surgery that ultimately kept him out for the remainder of the season.

    After going through all of that, Hall has a new appreciation for the sport he truly loves.

    "I've been through a long road of recovery and watched a lot of hockey and watched a lot of practices," Hall said, "so for me to go out and play and join my teammates, there's nothing more special for me. I feel like I have a better appreciation for what I do for living now after being out for so long."

    The 32-year-old forward confirmed that he is 100% percent healthy and is fully ready to go for the start of the season.

    "I don't have any limitations in the gym or on the ice," Hall said. "It's more about just getting my brain up to game speed and playing hockey again."

    Hall played on a line with Connor Bedard for parts of the first day of training camp, which is a sign he could serve a pretty substantial role for the Blackhawks.

    In 2018, Hall won the Hart Trophy with the New Jersey Devils and during that season he had a certain energy to him. Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson sees Hall coming back to that form and that’s an encouraging sign to say the least.

    "He's all business right now, just the way we want to conduct ourselves as a team," Richardson said, "and he's driving that pace out there. That's the way he likes to play. I remember him in New Jersey being an MVP of the league, and that's the way he played."

    He might be getting older, but Hall still has the ability to be a highly productive offensive player and he'll prove that in Chicago.