Sens vs. Penguins 4/22/05 Articles: Hamel injures knee, 'day-to-day' for now
April 23, 2005

Posted by: Bob Howard
Credit: Scott Lauber of Press Connects.com

Hamel injures knee, 'day-to-day' for now

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Press & Sun-Bulletin

BINGHAMTON -- Among the more amazing aspects of a rather amazing regular season for the Binghamton Senators was their avoidance of significant injuries.

In the first game of the Calder Cup playoffs, their luck may have changed.

Denis Hamel, who paced the Senators with 39 goals, injured his left knee when he got tangled along the side boards with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins center Eric Christensen with 4:28 remaining in the first period of the Senators' 5-2 victory Friday night.

Hamel came out for the second period, cut short his lone shift and went back to the dressing room. He was being treated after the game and wasn't available for comment, although co-coach John Paddock said he was "day-to-day," the commonly vague injury diagnosis in the playoffs.

"He's a very important part of the team," Paddock said. "You can't replace him, but we've got enough interchangeable parts that we can fill in. Right now, he's day-to-day."

Hamel was one of four Senators who scored 30 goals or more. His spot alongside center Antoine Vermette and winger Josh Langfeld was taken by a variety of left wingers, including Charlie Stephens, who scored a third-period goal and tallied 20 goals in the AHL last season.

But few of the Senators seemed concerned that Hamel would be lost for an extended time.

"We've got a lot of depth," Langfeld said. "Who knows? I think he'll be ready to go soon."

Said center Pat Kavanagh, "When guys go down, it gives other guys an opportunity to play more. But we'll have to wait and see what the diagnosis is (today)."

Other than rookie winger Grant Potulny and defenseman Neil Komadoski, none of the Senators have been sidelined for long stretches. Potulny missed 28 games in the middle of the season after undergoing hernia surgery in January, and Komadoski was out for the last 11 regular-season games with a concussion.