The 35-year-old admits it was unrealistic to come back during training camp even though he tried his best. In hindsight, Bishop says it was for the best to take things slow.
"At the beginning of training camp, I wanted to play, but I wasn't ready yet," he said. "Looking back on it, I wasn't ready to start playing then. Not necessarily from the knee, but from the hockey aspect. Getting that practice time in. I hadn't really skated that much in the summer. I was still doing rehab but wasn't skating every day. I took some time off. My goalie skills are sharper now than they were then."
The true test will be in goal when Bishop makes his first start since Aug. 31, 2020. He had right knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus in October 2020 and it was announced at the time he'd miss approximately five months.
The road to recovery has been long and arduous for the three-time Vezina finalist, who has a 74-48-11 record, 2.33 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in 143 appearances with the Stars over parts of three seasons.
"It's been a long process," Bishop said. "It is what it is. It's the cards I was dealt. You have to play them. I've taken my time getting ready, and now we're here. I'm very excited. There's a little nerves, too. It should be a lot of fun. We'll see where it's at.
As for his anticipated start Thursday, Bishop says he's going in with an open mind.
"I don't really know what to expect," he said. "I'm going to go into the game and treat it like any other game I've ever played. The expectation is to go down, play well and see how the knee holds up."
