Mike Reilly took another step forward in his recovery on Sunday, as the defenseman participated in the New York Islanders’ optional morning skate ahead of their game against the Dallas Stars. It marked Reilly’s first team skate since Nov. 1.
“It is very inspiring,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “From the moment that he got hurt in Buffalo to today, he went through a lot and it's nice to see that he wants to continue, and he wants to come back. A lot of us probably would have a heart problem and probably think otherwise, but it's the beauty of our sport.”
Reilly initially suffered a concussion on Nov. 1 in Buffalo and during his treatment, doctors uncovered a previously undiagnosed heart condition. Reilly underwent a heart procedure on Nov. 19 and has been out indefinitely. There is still no timetable for his return, but Sunday marked a sign of progress for the injured blueliner, who’d previously been skating on his own.
“Everyone’s excited to have Mikey back and [we’ve] seen how hard he's worked and how tough it's been this year to be out,” Brock Nelson said. “He's happy back in the mix. He loves being around the guys and loves playing. To see him having fun out there with us the game group, being that he's close is exciting for us.”
The next step for Reilly would be participating in an official practice, but he has not been cleared for contact. Still, his presence was felt by the team at Sunday’s skate and a morale boost to his teammates.
“All the guys in here love Mikey,” Nelson said. “He's been a great addition for us, so to get him back in the mix has been awesome.”
Reilly has three hits and four blocked shots through 11 games this season.
