Montador Fitting In 3/19/13
By: Scott Leber
Updated: March 19, 2013
Rockford, Illinois-Veteran defenseman Steve Montador is fitting in well with the IceHogs. He joined the team last week.
Montador played in 52 games last season for the Blackhawks. He sat out almost a full year though recovering form a head injury that he suffered last March. He appreciates being able to play agian even if it's not in the NHL.
"I've got a lot of gratitude just to be back playing," says Montador. "I've been practicing and skating for a while, and that was a blessing in and of itself, but to get back into the competition and be in the thick of a playoff race and be around such a good group of guys on this team, I'm just really grateful to be here."
Montador is 33 years old. He has played with several NHL teams, the Sabres, Ducks, Bruins, Panthers, and Flames in addition to the Blackhawks. Still he's enjoying being in a heated playoff race with a bunch of young guys.
"It's exciting. I'm certainly one of the older guys around here, so it just reminds me of the times when I was battilng away in the minors, and I'm finding my game just like these guys are finding their game," says Montador. "They're learning and I'm learning. It's just a good, fun period of growth. There's a lot of good energy around here. I'm just really happy to be a part of it."
Montador is hoping to shake the rust of his game and be ready if the Blackhawks need a defenseman to help them out during their stretch run.
"I'm an NL defenseman and that's how I feel about my game. Certainly I need to get a few games in here to et back to whre I had been and where I want to be. So yea, I'll be ready whenever they need me."
Montador played in 52 games last season for the Blackhawks. He sat out almost a full year though recovering form a head injury that he suffered last March. He appreciates being able to play agian even if it's not in the NHL.
"I've got a lot of gratitude just to be back playing," says Montador. "I've been practicing and skating for a while, and that was a blessing in and of itself, but to get back into the competition and be in the thick of a playoff race and be around such a good group of guys on this team, I'm just really grateful to be here."
Montador is 33 years old. He has played with several NHL teams, the Sabres, Ducks, Bruins, Panthers, and Flames in addition to the Blackhawks. Still he's enjoying being in a heated playoff race with a bunch of young guys.
"It's exciting. I'm certainly one of the older guys around here, so it just reminds me of the times when I was battilng away in the minors, and I'm finding my game just like these guys are finding their game," says Montador. "They're learning and I'm learning. It's just a good, fun period of growth. There's a lot of good energy around here. I'm just really happy to be a part of it."
Montador is hoping to shake the rust of his game and be ready if the Blackhawks need a defenseman to help them out during their stretch run.
"I'm an NL defenseman and that's how I feel about my game. Certainly I need to get a few games in here to et back to whre I had been and where I want to be. So yea, I'll be ready whenever they need me."
