Victoria Royals captain Gannon Laroque knows he can’t get bogged down by thoughts of would could have been — like being in Halifax on Thursday night as part of the gold-medallist Canadian team in the 2023 world junior hockey championship.
That is among the things lower-body surgery in the summer cost him, including the first part of the Western Hockey League season.
“It’s obviously been hard but it [missing the sa国际传媒 selection camp due to the surgery] did not go my way,” said Laroque.
“I would have loved the opportunity to showcase myself on that stage. It was obviously hard but things didn’t go that way. I tried not to think about it too much. The recovery was step-by-step. It was definitely a grind and took a lot of work.”
On the club level, Laroque fulfilled his role as Royals captain the best he could from the sidelines.
“I was not able to play but tried to do everything possible to be there for the guys,” he said.
Laroque said he did not want to endanger his future career by rushing things and returning too soon this season.
“I wanted to be 100 per cent and I feel I am.”
Timing is usually the biggest issue for players after a lengthy absence.
“I am trying to keep it simple on the ice for the first few games and not overcomplicate things,” said Laroque.
The Royals are in Spokane tonight to play the Chiefs and are in Tri-City on Saturday night to meet the Americans. Victoria (9-24-4) has won six of its last 10 games, a stretch in which the Royals have earned points in seven games, as the club looks to rally for a playoff berth after a disastrous start to the season without Laroque.
It is much the same scenario as last season when the Royals looked to be out of the playoff hunt, before climbing back into it, but losing a post-season berth on the final day of the regular season.
“It’s in our minds that we didn’t do it last season but I believe we can do it this season,” said Laroque.
“We’re hungry for it this year.”
