"In a quiet moment as he left the Honda Center this morning, Ryan Getzlaf said he's received more telephone calls in the last two days than he previously took in the last two months.
Such is the case when you have about 35 million people on edge from the moment you left the ice for good two nights ago against the Kings.
Maybe every single person in Canada isn't fretting over Getzlaf's sprained left ankle and his availability for next week's Olympic men's hockey tournament but the immediate fate of the Ducks' leading scorer has become a national story north of the border.
While he still wore a walking boot this morning, Getzlaf said he hopes to skate in the Ducks' practice Friday in Calgary and wants to be in the lineup Saturday night when they play the Flames or Sunday in Edmonton.
"All signs are showing to things progressing the way we want them to," said Getzlaf, who'll sit out tonight's home game against the Oilers. "Obviously we have our fingers crossed if things keep going the same way and we don't have any setbacks.
"When I woke up this morning, I was walking a lot better. I'm off the crutches and all that stuff. All those things point in the right direction."
There's two big reasons why Getzlaf is pushing to get back on the ice just days after injuring himself when he got tangled up with Kings winger Dustin Brown in the Ducks' 4-2 win.
It may not matter to an entire nation but the big center recognizes the importance of this weekend's games given that the Ducks enter tonight four points out of a playoff spot. But what obviously matters to Canada, in particular the national team's executive director Steve Yzerman, is whether Getzlaf is right heading into their first game Tuesday against Norway.
"First and foremost, we're trying to finish strong before the break," said Getzlaf, who has 15 goals and 42 assists this season. "That's a big thing for our group right now. Our team's playing well and we need to get our points when we can here. The sooner I can get back in the lineup, the better off I'm going to be and our team's going to be.
"Obviously going into the Olympics, I do need to skate. I do need to play whether it's a hard practice or a game, whatever I do. I need to show them I'm ready to play. In such a short tournament like that, you can't afford to go in injured and maybe miss two or three games to start it."
Getzlaf said he has been in constant contact with Yzerman, who can wait until Monday night to determine if he has to make a change due to an injury. Already there has been all kinds of speculation in Canada on who would replace him on the roster with Philadelphia's Jeff Carter or Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos among the names most bandied about."
