Logan Couture met with local San Jose Sharks media for the first time in nearly two months today.
Logan Couture met with local San Jose Sharks media for the first time in nearly two months today.
Logan Couture met with local San Jose Sharks media for the first time in nearly two months today.
Couture has missed the entire season so far due to a lower-body injury. He politely declined when asked if he could shed any light on it.
"Not right now, maybe one day," Couture said.
The Sharks captain told reporters he had been skating for roughly ten days.
He went on to discuss all the things he has seen from afar:
Couture on what he's gone through:
"At the start, I was trying to do everything I could to get in the lineup. But ultimately, just taking some time off resting and rehabbing was what was gonna get me back healthy. I'm at the point now where I'm back on the ice skating."
Couture's mentality over the last two months:
"I feel good. Every day [on the ice] is a positive step every day. I'm doing more and working harder. It's encouraging. I mean, when you're injured, there are tough days when your body's not responding the way that you've expected it to, and some days where you're just told you can't skate and you got to stay off and rest. For an athlete, that's one of the tougher things to tell them. Not be active and not play your sport. So I'm happy to be at this spot now where I'm skating, even though it's just bag skating every day. It's fun for me to do that right now."
Couture had thoughts of his career being over:
"Yeah, I can honestly say two months ago, I woke up, and I didn't know if I was ever gonna play in the NHL again. Something that I thought of [for] many days. But now there's a path, and I feel really good on the ice."
Couture on how to track his rehab:
"Day by day, as cliche as this sport is, but for me, it's come to the gameday skate. See how I feel and how I respond to this harder skate; wake up tomorrow, talk to our trainers, see what the goal is for that day, and go from there."
Couture on when he might return:
"With my injury, there's no set timeline for it. That's why I stood here and said I think I can try and be ready for opening night. But looking back on that, obviously, not even close to that. There was no set timeline. As I said, [it's] week-to-week, and it truly is week-to-week. I would still say I'm week to week."
Couture on the frustration of the unknown:
"That was the toughest part. The waking up one day and feeling good and waking up the next day and feeling really crappy. There was no light at the end of the tunnel. There was no timeline set, just kind of a week-by-week, day-by-day thing. Finally, knock on wood, everything continues to go well, and I'm over that hump things can continue to trend up, and I can make it back to practicing with the guys.
Couture on Hertl's leadership growth:
"Tommy has always been a leader. He's always vocal, even though you don't really know what he's saying half the time. He's been a vocal player for many years. He's a guy that's been here for a long time, and he's done a lot of really good things in this league. So naturally, people will look up to him, and he carries himself extremely well on a day-to-day basis. He practices hard. He has everything that is needed to be a leader on a National Hockey League team. So naturally, he stepped into that role as the guy that everyone in that locker room looks up to. The guy that's gonna lead by example, and we'll talk when need be. So he's done a very good job."
Couture on what he's done to support the team in his absence:
"Seeing the guys after some of those games, there's not much you can do from the sidelines. I mean, you can only play cheerleader so much. Add your two cents to certain plays, but I wasn't on the ice. When I'm playing, and someone's telling me what I should be doing differently. Sometimes, what's said he goes in one ear, sometimes not the other. So, I tried to help out as much as I could. It's so rewarding now for these guys to play the way that they are. That road trip was awesome to watch, even though I wasn't on the trip. Very proud of a lot of those guys. The way they've continued to battle through a lot of adversity, a lot of injuries. [In that] Vegas game we lost four or five guys throughout that game that we played better than Vegas did. So pretty impressive."
Couture on the message Grier sent:
"Grier's message was that he stands behind the guys in the room, and he has confidence in the guys in there that we're gonna get ourselves out of it. But at the end of the day, it's pro sports. If you don't, then changes will be made. Sometimes, guys need that. That talk from someone that all of us in the room obviously look up to, who had a great career himself. So, I think it woke guys up a little bit. I mean, we obviously needed it, and guys have responded."
Couture will continue to ramp up work, but it is very encouraging to see him on the ice.
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