Retirement is going to be a problem, proclaimed Edmonton Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin.
He has never really considered it, contemplated it or even thought about it until a herniated disc in his back pulled him away from the game for 10 long months.
Now that he’s playing again, and playing with a renewed zest for the game, Khabibulin is relishing the here and now.
“I definitely missed playing,” said Khabibulin, who faced 30 shots in Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks.
“I think the longest I had been out with an injury was eight weeks. This was 10 months and it made me think of what it’s going to be like because, at some point, I’m going to have to stop playing.”