EDMONTON -- As he lay scared and rigid on the operating table in early December, having his left knee completely rebuilt by a surgeon, Carolina center Joe Vasicek could only dream of being back on the ice this year.

"It was really frustrating, but I never really let this stuff get to me," Vasicek said. "I knew I could play again and I never really worried about not playing because if I did, I wouldn't give as much effort. I always believed it was going to be good again."

Being good enough, however, to be center stage in a potential clinching game of the Stanley Cup Final should have been beyond the realm of possibility.

Yet, that is exactly where Vasicek -- expected to be out until next fall's training camp - found himself Saturday night as the Hurricanes took the Rexall Place ice for the second of three chances to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup.

And, instead of being the fringe player he was the previous two games, Vasicek was thrust squarely into the limelight for Game 6 because of the arm injury suffered by center Doug Weight in the third period of Game 5 -- an injury that ruled Weight out of Game 6 and, barring a miracle, also for Game 7 if it becomes a necessity.

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Vasicek, who tried to return at the end of the regular season, and at earlier junctures of Carolina's two -month run through the playoffs, made the long road back by suffering through an aggressive rehabilitation program.

"That was one of the options, that I wouldn't be able to play again this year," said Vasicek, who thoroughly ripped about his knee, tearing all three ligaments, in a collision with Florida's Juraj Kolnik back in November. "But, the guys were playing well and when I watched the games, that gave me a little extra motivation."

Now, all that hard work has paid off. Vasicek labored through the early playoffs, continuing his rehab and logging extra ice time after practice. Each time he tried to give it a go, and failed, he refused to concede the inevitable and pushed even harder.

Last week, before Game Game 4, Vasicek walked into Peter Laviolette's office and declared himself fit for duty.

"Obviously, it was a long road back and I'm real happy with the situation I am in right now," Vasicek said Friday. "Yeah, I wanted to play. This is the biggest stage right now. I knew, in my heart, I was ready, but I didn't want to do anything because the guys were doing real well and I understood the situation."

Yet, Vasicek's plea to play fell on receptive ears. Laviolette watched how hard Vasicek worked and knew that this player could be a difference maker -- especially after he led Carolina in scoring in 2003-04 with 45 points.

"He came to me a couple days ago and said he wanted to play," Laviolette said. "I said, 'Well, I may only have a five-minute role available.' He said, 'I don't care, I want to play.' When a player comes and tell you he wants to play, and he was our leading scorer (in 2003-04), you should probably listen to him and put him in."

So, that is what Laviolette did. In a limited role, Vasicek played 10 mostly unnoticeable minutes in Game 4. Two nights later, in Carolina's first chance to win the Cup, he added another 11 minutes to the ledger. Saturday, he will undoubtedly see his ice time go way up as he tries to help the void left by Weight's absence.

Laviolette, for one, is counting on Vasicek to have a positive impact.

"I knew I could play again and I never really worried about not playing because if I did, I wouldn't give as much effort. I always believed it was going to be good again." -- Joe Vasicek

"I expect a big game out of Joe," he said Saturday morning. "He was our leading scorer two years ago. He's come off of a tough surgery. There's not a lot of time left here, certainly is a playing where all of our players can let it ride and let their best performance go tonight."

Vasicek's teammates also expect big things from Vasicek. They have monitored his recovery, pushing him through the low points and celebrating his accomplishments along the road. Now, they are ready for the payoff.

Kevyn Adams, who played on a line with Vasicek during the past two games, was all smiles Friday as he discussed his teammate's feel-good story.

"I think it was extremely tough on Joe," Adams said. "It's tough on any player, but Joe had had a good year the year before the lockout and then he had done well over in Czech during the lockout and at the World Championships. So, I think there was that initial disappointment.

"With Joe, that competitiveness started kicking in after a while and he said, 'Hey, we have a special team here and I have to do everything I can to be a part of this. That mechanism probably started to kick in and that's extremely important because for guys coming back from something like that it has to be how hard you are going to push. And now here it is."

Vasicek has been effective in his return, but he is not yet the dominant player he was before the injury.

"I'd like to think it's 100 percent so I can go 100 percent," Vasicek said. "Right now, the knee feels good. Fortunately, the knee settled down faster than it was supposed and luckily I am where I am at right now."

But, the knee is not fully healed. Recovery from an injury like Vasicek usually takes a full calendar year. But, that is time the Hurricanes no longer have. Laviolette knows he is pushing his young center harder than he might like, but with a championship on the line and injuries for his team beginning to mount, he has little choice in the matter, especially when Vasicek is not only cleared, but eager, to compete.

"This surgery, you talk to people who have this surgery on their knee, and typically it is a good full year before they start to feel good," Laviolette said. "You watch him out on the ice and he looks good and he can play a good game, but when he goes to get on the bus afterward it's a very hobbled limp up the bus and back to his seat."

For now, a limp is something Vasicek can live with, especially if it is countered by a Stanley Cup ring.