Pacioretty Nears Return After Suffering Achilles Tear In August

RALEIGH, NC. -"For a day or two I might have told my family, friends, and agent that this might be it for me. It's been a rough couple of years."
Just 27 days after being acquired by the Carolina Hurricanes from the Vegas Golden Knights, Max Pacioretty had torn his Achilles tendon.

He knew it right away too.
"The trainers looked at me and asked if I was good and I said to them that I had torn my Achilles."
Working out at the team's facility, the injury had happened so soon after arriving in North Carolina that Pacioretty's family hadn't even been able to make the move to be with him yet. In fact, the first time the star winger was able to see his wife and children in the state was after he came out of surgery to repair the injury.
But after a day or two of laying in bed post-operation, Pacioretty reached a more level head and put thoughts of hanging up his skates in the past.
"I realized that everything I've accomplished in my life has been through handling adversity. I'm not saying I wish that stuff like this happened to me, but I don't think I'd be where I am without the adversity I've faced," the prized forward shared. "Whether it was breaking my neck or the various other injuries I've suffered in my career, the personal struggles, it led me to go from thinking that this might be it, to thinking that I'm going to come back stronger than ever. And I haven't looked back since."

While the motivation for most, if not all, NHL players is to ultimately win a Stanley Cup in their careers, for Pacioretty it was more pride than anything that energized his return.
"This is what I love doing. I love coming to the rink every day. And I love doing this for my family," the 34-year-old offered. "After the surgery when I saw them for the first time, I just gave them a huge hug and I realized that I do this for them."
The importance of family has never been lost on Pacioretty, but the time spent with his wife and children also brought lessons of self-growth for the father of five.
"It's funny because my nine-year-old was kind of talking back the other day and I just remember being like, you know, you really do think you know everything at a certain age. And through this injury, I really, truly learned a lot about what's important to me. The one thing that's obvious is my family. I wouldn't have been able to get through this without them. You appreciate the little things, like being able to walk and pick up your kids. At the same time, you want to do well for them. It's important for me to do what I love and that's playing hockey. I've never fallen out of love with the game of hockey. These five months have helped me realize that I'm not ready for life after it yet and I want to keep doing this and sharing the memories with my family as well."
Now 148 days after the team's August 9 announcement of the injury, Pacioretty's much anticipated Canes debut is imminent.
The initial estimation was that he would miss six months, bringing him back into the mix around the NHL's All-Star Break. Instead, he's over a month ahead of schedule due to his hard work and desire to get back onto the ice.
"This guy's worked his tail off," Canes Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Bill Burniston, who assisted intimately with Pacioretty in his recovery, shared. "I'm serious, he has worked his butt off. With him, it's been more of having to pull him back than it's been pushing him. He's wanted to keep doing more and more to try and get back, but we have to make sure we do it right."
How intent has #67 been in his comeback?
"He had his surgery on August 9. He was sending me pictures and videos of him doing arm exercises at home on August 10," Burniston continued.

Going through strenuous amounts of off-ice work in an effort to try and get back on the ice, Pacioretty first laced up the skates again for the first time in November.
But with an injury such as an Achilles tendon tear, the return is just as much of a battle mentally as it is physically.
"I just felt like I had to jump out of the plane and trust everyone around me," Pacioretty said of the five-month period. "It's a new staff for me. They didn't know any of my injuries, they didn't know how I trained before, they didn't know any of my baselines, my standards, but I just jumped right in and said that I was going to put everything in their hands. And I'm glad I did because the team has an unbelievable staff here."
Working closely with Burniston, Head Athletic Trainer Doug Bennett, and Assistant Athletic Trainer Matt Aiello among others, the now 15-year-pro knew that a severe injury such as this at this point in his career was going to be atypical.
"It's a two-way street. Not every player is at the same stage in their career. I'm 34. I might do things a little bit differently and they were open to that. I really appreciated that they were open to the different stuff that I've implemented in training, my rehab, my diet, and treatments. From day one this staff has been so good to me and I owe them a lot."
Pacioretty's road to recovery has included valuable resources inside and outside of the organization, bonding with several other players that have suffered an Achilles tendon tear recently. In addition to keeping in contact with fellow players like Anthony Duclair of the Florida Panthers, Pacioretty has also been able to tap into Justin Williams, who suffered the same injury during his career.
"I think all of that has been a real blessing for Max," Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour offered. "He's worked really hard and done everything he's supposed to do with major intentions to get back as quickly as possible."
With that being said though, Brind'Amour wants expectations to be tempered accordingly for the lineup's soon-to-be addition.
"I know it's going to take time when he does get in there. He's not going to slot in right away and be where I think it will end up. It'll be baby steps as we go to get his feet wet."
Even though the 2019-20 All-Star won't be able to go 100% right away, he feels as if the process of his recovery couldn't have gone much better, allowing him to become an option as quickly as he has.
"I'm a really detail-oriented guy and I like to have all of the information I can right in front of me. I want to know what to expect and what I need to do, and the staff here does that," Pacioretty continued. "I think the word that comes to mind when I think of the staff] is genuine. There are good days and there are bad days, but you come in here, they all have a smile on their face and you know they're going to do what it takes to make you better. Every single person from the equipment staff to the training staff."
Quick to express his gratitude to everyone from the support staff to the coaching staff, Pacioretty's early reviews of his time in Carolina are glowing.
"That's the culture of this organization. From top to bottom. Everyone talks about how it's hard work, and the character, but I would say that it's a genuine culture too. There were late nights when I'd be texting the trainers if something didn't feel right and there was no such thing as a text that was too late for them. They're always there and I'm thankful that this all happened in a place like this."
While Pacioretty's experience as a Hurricane appears to be as positive as it could be given the circumstances, there were certainly challenges surrounding arriving at a new team and not being able to have the on-ice side of bonding as an option.
"I won't lie, it was hard. It was really hard. You're meeting guys for the first time and you're on crutches or being wheeled around. The team was on the road so much to start the year too, so I just wasn't able to spend a ton of time with the guys. But I will say since I've started skating and being able to be around the team, it's just been really easy to get along with the guys. There's a standard here for the type of human beings that they want in this organization and everyone meets that standard. Whether you're a young guy or an older guy, everyone's pulling the same way."
Now, it's Pacioretty's time to help pull that same way with a Carolina Hurricanes sweater on.
"I feel really good. I know it's not going to be a situation where I start playing and everything is going to be 100%. It's going to take a little bit. The good news is that there are measurements to see where I'm at in comparison to where I was a year ago, so as I get closer to those things it will only be more exciting and help build my confidence."
And as his personal confidence continues to build back over time, the goal for what he hopes to provide for this team hasn't changed since the day he was dealt to Raleigh.
"I'm here to help the team win. I'm not trying to come in and change anything. This team has won a lot of hockey games, so they don't need a guy to come in and do too much. I want to fit in and then do my job, which is to score goals. I think I can contribute in other areas as well, but that's my job, right? It's exciting because they've already had so much success without me. I think it actually puts some pressure on me to come in and make sure I gel with the group because they've had so much success without me. And I like pressure."
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