Norris suffered his latest shoulder injury in a game back in February. He provided a full update on his summer and how he felt after his first official skate with the club on Wednesday.
When Ottawa Senators centre Josh Norris met with the media today, everyone wanted to know how his shoulder was holding up. Norris answered all the questions with the tone of a man wondering what all the fuss was about. And that attitude, not dwelling on the past, is probably a good thing.
"Nice to be out there and officially start the season," Norris said. "And yeah, I feel good... It's a much better position than I was last year. So I'm happy about that. And I'm excited to get things going."
Norris missed all of preseason and the first three games last year, so he's ahead of last year's recovery pace. He described his surgery as a "little bit different" than his previous ones, so the rehab was a little different too. Beyond that, he just tried to do all the right things to get back to this position.
"For the most part, (I made sure to) take a lot of time to recover. And yeah, make sure you're giving out 100% in the gym and rehab with your sleep, with your food, with everything. Obviously, (the shoulder injury) has happened a few times now. And you just want to make sure you're doing everything possible to give yourself the best chance to be on the ice and do your job."
Norris says he's always been committed to good nutrition, but he stepped it up over the summer, eating only whole foods and avoiding junk food.
New Senators head coach Travis Green hasn't been here to witness Norris's injury hardships, but he knows his story and is thrilled to see him looking so good on day one of camp on Thursday.
"First time being (with him) on the ice, he can really move," Green said. "And he didn't look like he was shying away, so that's a good thing. And any time you go through something like that as a player, I think just getting through day one is always, you're looking to get through it, wondering how you're going to feel. From just short conversations with the trainers, everything seems fine."
Yes, day one of training camp in mid-September is a long way from the physical intensity of a battle for a playoff spot in March, but it's an encouraging start.