Jesse Phillips retiring?
Any Roughnecks fan that reads the Calgary Sun or knows someone that does will have heard by now that Jesse Phillips is considering retirement. The article, written by Ty Pilson, was in today’s Calgary Sun and posted on their website.
Phillips, who’s been having trouble with his right knee since before the season began, will be making his final decision in the next week or so. Since Phillips didn’t play the summer season in 2005 this injury is definitely not something to be taken lightly.
According to the article, Phillips had surgery on his right knee in October and the recovery was quite painful. The four games he has played so far this season have probably not been the easiest for Phillips but should definitely open the eyes of some of the more cynical fans — if for nothing at all at least a small amount of compassion or leniency.
Phillips mentioned that during a warm-up for the game against Edmonton on Feb. 17 he tweaked his knee. While the knee was causing him pain, he decided to play through it. This is especially troubling since the doctor basically told Phillips that he has no cartilage left. About his decision Phillips said, “We’ll just see how it is the next few weeks and how it holds out. It’s been a tough year.”
What does this mean for the team?
Well, first of all it means we’re out a former All-Star player in our transition game. General Manager Kurt Silcott — who still has yet to explain the presence of a third goalie on our roster — seems to think the Roughnecks can deal with the loss.
Some fans seem to think this is the final nail in the coffin for our boys. I, on the other hand, see it merely as another hurdle we have to cross — not a small hurdle mind you but it’s still just a hurdle. Sure, Phillips has a lot of experience and losing that is definitely going to hurt us. What we do have going for us though, is a pool of young, hungry players that are really willing to step up and show us what they can do.
I’m looking forward to the next game against Colorado. This will probably be a good gauge of how the rest of the season will pan out for Phillips — and possibly the rest of the team.