WINNIPEG -Bryan Little finally got to shed the non-contact jersey he's been in since early October.
The veteran Jets forward was cleared for contact and was a regular participant in Wednesday's practice. He's been recovering from a concussion sustained in the final preseason game in Minnesota against the Wild.
"It's been a bit slower than I would have liked. With these things now, you have to be more cautious than you used to be," Little said. "There are different protocols in place now. You have to follow that and follow the steps. Today was the first contact practice and it felt pretty good."
Both Little and head coach Paul Maurice stopped short of saying the 31-year-old will be in the line-up on Thursday. They want to make sure he comes back to the rink tomorrow feeling just as good as he does today.
"I've passed all the tests but haven't had a lot of practice time," said Little. "I talked to Paul. It's wake up and see how you feel. The biggest thing for me is just getting that speed back because I haven't had a lot of full practices with the team. Today was basically my first one where I participated in everything."
Little sheds non-contact jersey in Wednesday's practice
"I've definitely felt better in the last three or four days" - Little