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Sami Salo News & Rumors

CANUCKS NOTEBOOK: Injured or not, Salo still wins hardest shot competition at Canucks' superskills competition
January 23
Vancouver Sun
 
"Injured defenceman Sami Salo is close to returning to the Vancouver Canucks lineup but it wasn't close Sunday in the hardest shot competition at the team's annual superskills competition. The 37-year-old Finn retained his title with a blast of 102.7 mph as he edged fellow blueliners Andrew Alberts (100.5 mph) and multiple former winner Alex Edler (100 mph). Salo also had the second hardest shot at 102.5, much to the delight of the full house at Rogers Arena. "Alex knows I'm close to the end of my career so I think he gave it to me," quipped Salo, who has missed six games with a concussion since being submarined Jan. 7 by Boston Bruin Brad Marchand."
Sami Salo fights his way back to game
January 21
Vancouver Sun
 
"The two least surprising things in the postscript to the Brad Marchand-Sami Salo incident is that Marchand never apologized for causing the injury and that Salo will overcome it as he has so much else. Salo, the 37-year-old who has beaten an arm's-length list of injuries to keep his National Hockey League career going, practised Friday with the Vancouver Canucks for the first time since suffering a concussion on Jan. 7 when Marchand "submarined" the defenceman. Even with the hostility of the Canucks-Bruins rivalry, Vancouver defenceman Aaron Rome texted Nathan Horton after injuring the Boston winger with a late hit last June, while Bruin blueliner Johnny Boychuk sent a note to forward"
Canucks' Tanev call-up means Salo out through all-star break
January 20
Vancouver Province
 
"Sami Salo will be on the ice on today, but skating alone. Chris Tanev will also be on the ice at Rogers Arena, but he'll be practising with Salo's teammates, the Canucks having recalled the young defenceman on Wednesday. The call-up, with two games to go before the all-star break, likely means Salo won't return to action until the season resumes after the break, which for the Canucks means Jan. 31 against Chicago at Rogers Arena. "Sami's going to skate, so far he's been improving every day," general manager Mike Gillis said on the TEAM 1040."
No Salo shows Norris worth
January 18
Vancouver Province
 
"The only question emerging from this recent spate of Canucks games is how high to move Sami Salo on the Norris Trophy ballot when it arrives. His departure from the Boston game last week has led to a fire drill the likes of which we haven't seen during the Mike Gillis regime on this very solid team, the top three seemingly overwhelmed both with the workload and the cumulative fatigue of playing so many games, so many of those on the road."
Canucks coach Alain Vigneault claims to know nothing on Sami Salo's status
January 17
Vancouver Sun
 
"So what's up with Sami Salo? It seemed like a harmless enough question Monday for Vancouver Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault, who is the team's gatekeeper of medical information. Salo has been out since the tumultuous Jan. 7 game in Boston when he was low-bridged by Bruins rat Brad Marchand and suffered what the Canucks say was a concussion. More than seven days have past since the incident and Salo still has not been seen at practice. But he is exercising at all? Maybe doing light workouts? "I wouldn't even know," Vigneault told reporters at his daily press briefing. "I haven't even checked. I don't even think I've seen him since we've been here.""
Bruins' Brad Marchand suspended five games for 'predatory' hit on Sami Salo
January 10
Vancouver Province
 
"Brad Marchand was sent a stern message Monday that the NHL will not tolerate targeted hits that place players at the risk of serious injury. League disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan suspended the Boston Bruins' repeat offender five games for the low-bridge hit he delivered Saturday that sent Vancouver Canucks defenceman Sami Salo head over heels. Shanahan cited an earlier sequence in which Marchand showed clear frustration after a shoulder check between the Bruins winger and Sami Salo. His action 16 seconds later violated Rule 44 for clipping and concussed Salo, who struck his head on the TD Garden ice surface."
Sami Salo won't play Florida Panthers after suffering a concussion on Marchand's hit
January 8
Vancouver Sun
 
"If you thought Sami Salo was angry Saturday, you should have seen his coach on Sunday. Vancouver Canuck bench boss Alain Vigneault blistered Boston Bruin coach Claude Julien and player Brad Marchand and said it's only a matter of time until someone in the National Hockey League hurts Marchand, who concussed Salo with a dangerous low-bridge hit Saturday in Boston. Julien suggested the injury -- Salo has a concussion after landing on the back of his head and neck -- was the Canuck's fault for taking a run at Marchand. "If guys start protecting themselves the way Marchand did, maybe guys will stop taking runs at other guys," Julien told reporters, "because that's the consequences – you end up"
Salo delivers the point on power play, in his own end
October 23
Vancouver Sun
 
"The professional sports world is full of examples of athletes signing huge contracts and then not living up to them. Sami Salo is the opposite. He took a significant pay cut this past summer and is playing as well as ever. The Canucks defenceman is off to one of his best starts in this, his 13th NHL season and ninth in Vancouver. Through the team's first seven games, Salo has two goals, five points and is a team-best plus-6. His 24 shots — many of them his patented cannon from the point — are second only to winger Alex Burrows on the Canucks. Salo is playing like's he's 27, not 37. On Saturday, in a rare afternoon start against the Minnesota Wild (1 p.m., Sportsnet, Team 1040), Salo will"
Canucks re-sign Sami Salo, Chris Higgins
July 1
Vancouver Sun
 
"The Canucks have signed defenceman Sami Salo to a one-year deal, a report says this morning. Separate reports say Vancouver also inked forward Chris Higgins to a two-year deal. Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos is reporting that Salo's one-year deal would be at around $2 million. Salo would have become an unrestricted free agent today had he not been signed. TSN's Bob McKenzie also confirmed this morning that Salo has indeed been signed. He added that the Higgins deal is reportedly worth $1.9 million per year. Salo, 36, is a native of Turku, Finland. He played in 27 regular-season games this past season after returning in early February following a lengthy recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon"
Canucks sign Salo to one-year, $2 million deal
July 1
TSN.ca
 
"The Vancouver Canucks have re-signed another blueliner for next season, locking up Sami Salo with a one-year, $2 million contract. The 36-year-old played through another injury-ridden campaign for the Canucks last season, appearing in just 27 regular season games with three goals and four assists. He did play 21 games in Vancouver's playoff drive to the Stanley Cup Final."
Bieksa, Salo, Ehrhoff: Willing to consider discount to stick with contender
June 19
Vancouver Province
 
"Kevin Bieksa is in a very good mood. You would be too if you could shrug off a landlord throwing you a curveball — a renovation project punting you to a hotel during the Stanley Cup playoffs — by keeping your eyes on the big prize. And that would appear to be a contract extension with the Vancouver Canucks, because the unrestricted free agent defenceman was confidently talking about that Friday and even willing to take a discount. So, take that, Mr. Landlord. "An agreement breached and the next thing you know we're in a hotel," chuckled Bieksa. "I'm real happy with him right now, and I'm sure we won't be having too many more conversations in the future. He won't be getting my tickets next"
Salo happy to be the 'little' brother
June 13
Vancouver Sun
 
"There was money only for one of the two boys to play hockey and Sami Salo had the benefit of being the younger one, who had the advantage of a few more earning years for his father. His big brother still teases him about it. Why Sami? Why not Juha? Maybe he would have become the big hockey star. But he is proud of Sami, too, because his baby brother has a chance tonight to win the Stanley Cup. It's a difficult thing to fathom. You spend your life dreaming of something that seems so out of reach. And then one day it's there in front of you. If the Vancouver Canucks don't see the Stanley Cup on their way into the Garden today, they'll probably feel its holy presence in the building. All they"
Salo salutes his fallen father for perseverance to earn shot at Cup
June 1
Vancouver Province
 
"The irony wasn't lost on Sami Salo. Last weekend, his seven-year old son played in a local hockey tournament and won bronze. Not gold. Just like his dad, who's still searching for that elusive reward at end of the NHL rainbow. Oliver Salo was obviously elated at his accomplishment and can't wait to watch his dad compete for the Stanley Cup starting tonight at Rogers Arena. And apparently, Oliver is worth watching, too. "That was big tournament and their Stanley Cup," said the Vancouver Canucks defenceman. "He's got more skill than me. He's a forward." That's Salo. Quick of wit and long on perseverance. Salo knows he wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for his late father Toivo. He"
Healthy Sami Salo gives power boost to Canucks
May 23
Vancouver Sun
 
"It seems like all the pain, the frustration and the seemingly endless rehabilitation work was worth it for defenceman Sami Salo. At the not so tender age of 36, Salo is having the time of his hockey life. It's hard to imagine when you think how his season began. Ten months after rupturing his Achilles tendon and fearing his hockey career might be over, Salo delivered two huge goals for the Vancouver Canucks in Sunday's 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. "For sure it's been a long journey this year, having a tough off-season," Salo said. "But we worked really hard to get to this point. Now it's really exciting. First time in my long career that I have a chance to play in the Western"
Canucks' blueline corps may never again be this good
May 15
Vancouver Province
 
"If you're so inclined, you can question Vancouver GM Mike Gillis when he says earnestly he would do the Keith Ballard trade again — in a heartbeat. But you can't question the defence he's constructed, the one many see as a potential scales-tipper in the Western Conference final. Gillis said Saturday he has no regrets. He shouldn't. It took the same go-for-broke mentality to sign off on the Ballard deal as it did to author a blueline that now has a starting six Ballard can't seem to crack. And the reality is this: It may never again be this good. Unless, of course, a Shea Weber trade exists somewhere other than fans' dreams. Without size or Chris Pronger, Vancouver's blueline isn't perfect."
Salo a distinct maybe/maybe not for Canucks game 3
May 3
Vancouver Province
 
"Sami Salo practised with the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and pronounced, unequivocally, he could be ready to play — which makes him a definite maybe for Game 3. Or maybe even a distinct possibility. "It felt pretty good," Salo said of the injury, believed to be a groin strain, he suffered early in Game 6 of the Chicago series. "It's been improving. We'll decide tomorrow.""
Sami Salo leaves game with yet another injury
April 25
Vancouver Province
 
"In this playoff series that now seems ruled by Murphy's Law as far as the Canucks are concerned, you know it was only a matter of time before Sami Salo went down. The injury prone defenceman has actually been remarkably resilient since returning from his latest majory injury – a torn Achilles tendon suffered last July playing floorball in Finland. Salo played the final 27 games of the NHL regular season before the playoffs, but fate caught up with the oft-injured Salo about eight minutes into the first period of Game 6 when he appeared to leave the ice favouring his leg. Salo, who took four shifts, went to the dressing room and did't return. It forced the Canucks to rotate five defencemen,"
Canucks' Sami whammy strikes again, as Alberts returns under fire
April 25
Vancouver Sun
 
"Whoever had Game 6 in the Sami Salo injury pool, you are a winner. The Vancouver Canucks' often-injured defenceman went down again Sunday, surviving only three shifts before leaving his team's National Hockey League playoff game against the Chicago Blackhawks due to an undisclosed injury. Clearly upset, Salo didn't stop to talk to a reporter after the game. And Canucks coach Alain Vigneault didn't want to share information — "think I'm going to tell you?" — which was better than fibbing, and saved himself further pantsfire. But either Aaron Rome or out-of-favour Keith Ballard will probably have to come into the lineup for Game 7 on Tuesday (7 p.m., CBC, Team 1040), one day after defenceman"
Sami Salo intent on preparation with Canucks
April 4
Vancouver Sun
 
"Sami Salo plans to play next season and wants to play this week. Next season is encouraging, but this week is the important part. We are all programmed with survival instincts. We do not touch fire or run with scissors. We seek shelter from the storm. We do not backpack in Somalia or fly Aeroflot or invest emotionally in Justin Bieber. And if we are the Vancouver Canucks, we do not play Sami Salo on the eve of the National Hockey League playoffs unless we are still trying to make them and he goes on to the ice wearing bubble-wrap and a force field. But Salo is playing, which is more than the Canucks did Saturday in their predictable and forgiveable 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, who"
Sore-elbow Sami Salo a game-time decision
March 16
Vancouver Province
 
"Thank goodness Kevin Bieksa is back. Not back playing, just back in the dressing room, trading barbs with reporters. The defenceman will miss his 14th game tonight since he broke a foot, but he took part in his first practice with the Canucks since his last game, Feb. 15 at Minnesota. Before the club announced on Tuesday that it was recalling Yann Sauve from Manitoba, it was put to Bieksa that it must be that either he or Sami Salo would be playing tonight. "Oh yeah?" a skeptical Bieksa said. "That's very presumptuous I don't know, I'm just a player. "I'm not a writer or a GM, I don't know what's going on." Salo will be a game-time decision, his left elbow that blocked a shot Monday night"
Canucks recall Yann Sauve to fill in for injured Sami Salo
March 16
Vancouver Sun
 
"The Vancouver Canucks have recalled Yann Sauve from the Manitoba Moose and the rookie defenceman figures to fill in for the injured Sami Salo in Wednesday night's game against the Colorado Avalanche at Rogers Arena (7 p.m., Sportsnet, Team 1040). Earlier today, Canucks coach Alain Vigneault seemed to be holding out hope that Salo might be able to play Wednesday night. "I think there's a good possibility, but that being said we'll see tomorrow morning how he feels," Vigneault said after today's practice. "If he can go, great. If he can't, we've got plenty of time to call somebody up from Manitoba and get him here by game time." But just a couple of hours after Vigneault made those comments,"
What if this is the end of 40 years of suffering?
March 15
Vancouver Province
 columnist Tony Gallagher
"With the injury to Sami Salo on Monday night, the 41st of his bruised and bumpy NHL career, you can already hear the cynical Vancouver fans saying, "Here we go again." The history of fans waiting for the other shoe to drop and ultimately the final shoe is a longstanding tradition in this city, which may actually have some effect on the players despite their claims to the contrary. But here's one for the cynics: What if it doesn't happen? What if there are no disasters? What if this team gets healthy and stays healthy throughout the playoffs? What if instead of having trouble making things happen in the tough going, the stars of this team finally break through all at the same time? What if"
Salo still seems snake-bitten
March 15
Vancouver Province
 columnist Gordon McIntyre
"If you mapped Sami Salo's injuries, it would look like one of those posters of where different cuts of beef come from on the wall in your butcher shop, every segment of the body marked by dotted lines. Salo, as if on cue, left Monday's game and didn't return after taking a puck on his left elbow or forearm. If he can't play against Colorado on Wednesday it will be the 36-year-old's 41st injury and will have come in Game 16 of his return from a ruptured Achilles tendon. With 681 NHL games to his credit, that makes it an average of an injury every 16.61 games. And to think it looked to be Salo's night just two minutes before he blocked Kyle Brodziak's shot, Cal Clutterbuck's skate just"
Coach leans heavily on healthy Salo
February 22
Vancouver Province
 
"If it were September, you'd say Sami Salo was just coming out of camp. But March is just around the corner, then the playoffs, before you know it. For Salo, the 2010-'11 NHL season is a sprint, not a marathon. "That's kind of the feeling I have," Salo said Saturday night after his fifth NHL game this season, on top of three AHL conditioning games. "The body's a little tight, you feel a little heavy on the ice. That's how you feel in training camp." Alain Vigneault would have preferred to ease Salo back into playing shape more slowly. But, the way Vancouver Canucks defencemen have been falling like needles off a Christmas tree in January, the veteran has been forced to play minutes near his"
Canucks' Salo forced to sprint back into action
February 21
Vancouver Province
 
"If it was September, you'd say Sami Salo was just coming out of training camp. But March is just around the corner, then the playoffs before you know it. For Salo, the 2010-11 NHL season is a sprint, not a marathon. "That's kind of the feeling I have," Salo said Saturday night after playing his fifth NHL game this season, on top of three AHL conditioning games. "The body's a little tight, you feel a little heavy on the ice. "That's how you feel in training camp." Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault would have preferred to ease Salo back into playing shape more slowly, but the way Canucks defencemen have been falling like needles off a Christmas tree in January, the veteran has been forced"
Salo plays it safe and gives team assurance
February 13
Vancouver Province
 
"With his sportswriter's body and a medical chart that could be mistaken for Evel Knievel's, Sami Salo doesn't exactly fit the classic image of an inspirational figure. But it's a funny thing. When you talk to his teammates — most of whom have been through major injuries of their own — you begin to understand the respect with which Salo is held in the Canucks' locker-room. Time after time, they've seen their comrade fall. And time after time they've seen him get off the mat. That means something at the best of times. Considering the Canucks' current circumstances, it means even more. "It's admirable," said Kevin Bieska. "To come back and go through that kind of re-hab, when it's uncertain"
Canucks hope Salo won't miss a beat
February 11
Vancouver Province
 
"Just in the nick of time, Sami Salo will likely lace up on Saturday night for the Canucks. After three games of conditioning with the Manitoba Moose, Salo returned to Vancouver on Wednesday, will practise today and then decide if he's NHL game-ready. Salo will become the 10 th defenceman to suit up for the Canucks this season. "The timing is No. 1," said Kevin Bieksa, who has come back from two long injury-related layoffs the past three seasons. "You can work out and you can get your body physically ready, but it's the mental thing – thinking the game, making those split-second decisions. "He's only played three games, that's not even a training camp." Canucks assistant GM Lorne Henning"
Finn-ish that thought: Selanne, Salo Achilles' woes a difference of degree
February 10
Vancouver Sun
 
"This was going to be a story on the similarities between Teemu Selanne and Sami Salo. From the outset, it seemed like a good idea. They're both from Finland and born in cities no more than two hours drive apart. They've both played in the NHL for more than a decade and have been teammates at three Olympics and on countless world championship teams. They both love fast cars. They both play floorball in the off-season. And, they both suffered injuries to their Achilles tendon during their careers. That last part being the hook, with Salo having rejoined the Vancouver Canucks from his LTIR conditioning stint with AHL's Manitoba Moose on Wednesday. Then the Anaheim Ducks sniper had to go and"
Salo comes out of the gate as first star in AHL game
February 6
Vancouver Province
 
"Now we know what Sami Salo was doing with all that time he had off. He was thinking of some new ways to score. Making his AHL season debut, his first game since he blew out his Achilles tendon, Salo was wearing No. 22. It's not the only way in which he resembled a Sedin. Salo scored two goals and was first star, playing more than 17 minutes. The most encouraging moment may have been his second goal, a classic Salo slap shot which he blasted by the goalie. But the most memorable has to be the first one. Salo got creative, taking a page right out of Daniel Sedin's playbook. Angling toward the net from the back side, Salo went forehand-to-backhand as he tucked the puck into the net, flying"
Canuck Sami Salo on long road back: Now the AHL, next week the NHL?
February 4
Vancouver Sun
 columnist Iain MacIntyre
"It hasn't been easy for Sami Salo to make it this far. Especially Thursday. "We were supposed to fly through Chicago from Phoenix to get there, but that flight got cancelled," Vancouver Canucks assistant general manager Lorne Henning said of his travels to the minors Thursday with Salo. "We finally had to fly into Newark and drive from there." They ended up in Wilkes-Barre, Penn., where on Friday Salo will play his first hockey game since a ruptured Achilles tendon last July endangered his career. The 36-year-old defenceman was assigned Thursday to the Manitoba Moose for a three-game conditioning stint in the American Hockey League. If all goes well, Salo should return to Vancouver next"
Keep enthusiasm tempered, but Salo recovery going better than expected
January 21
Vancouver Sun
 
"The Twitter-verse was abuzz this morning after Canuck general manager Mike Gillis told a Toronto radio station that there is a chance injured defenceman Sami Salo (left) may not play this season. Since Twitter demands brevity, let me just say: "Well, duh." Gillis has stuck to that message since the day Salo ruptured his Achilles last July, cautioning the veteran's return is a matter of "if" and not "when." Salo told me the same thing himself in an interview two weeks ago, tempering the seemingly widespread belief that he could be on the verge of returning. "Nothing has changed," Gillis explained after the Canucks' morning skate ahead of tonight's game against the San Jose Sharks. "We're"
Salo-ry cap crunch could be solved by Samuelsson or Ballard
January 13
Vancouver Sun
 columnist Iain MacIntyre
"Among third-line forwards Raffi Torres and Mikael Samuelsson, only one made it to practice Wednesday in Manhattan. There's a chance only one will be on the Vancouver Canucks when Sami Salo returns from injury. The Canucks' stunning 18-1-3 surge to the top of the National Hockey League during the last eight weeks has changed a lot of things, including the idea that Vancouver couldn't risk losing both Kevin Bieksa and Christian Ehrhoff to unrestricted free agency this summer. Now, with a Canuck Stanley Cup more plausible than any time since June of 1994 — the Canucks are back in New York to face the Rangers later today — the team can't afford to lose either defenceman before the playoffs. So"
Sami Salo's worry? 'Can I still play?'
January 4
Vancouver Sun
 
"We interrupt the growing debate over how the Vancouver Canucks will fit defenceman Sami Salo on to their roster and who should be traded to clear salary-cap space, with a basic yet paramount detail: for Salo, his return is still as much about "if" as "when." Before participating again this morning in the Canucks' sparsely attended optional skate ahead of tonight's game against the San Jose Sharks (7:30 p.m., Sportsnet, Team 1040), the 36-year-old who ruptured his Achilles tendon in July admitted he is still not convinced he will play again. Ever. Yes, things are proceeding well. Yes, he was back on the ice sooner than expected. Barring setbacks, Salo probably will play again, maybe in a"
Canucks want Salo to go slow, but he will force tough cap choice
January 1
Vancouver Sun
 columnist Iain MacIntyre
"Get well, Sami. But not too soon. If injured Canuck defenceman Sami Salo is eventually subjected to 12 or 14 full practices before he is allowed to play -- Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault cites that number using a training-camp analogy for Salo's return -- it will be the longest runway back from injury in National Hockey League history. Like any other player returning from a serious injury, Salo should be well enough to play after 1-2 weeks of full on-ice training. But the Canucks still talk about his absence in terms of several weeks. The good reason for this, of course, is the longer the Canucks can keep Salo off the roster, the longer they avoid making a difficult salary-cap decision"
Sami Salo takes big step toward returning to lineup
December 30
Vancouver Sun
 
"Wednesday's Vancouver Canuck practice ended with a tough conditioning skate followed by three words from coach Alain Vigneault: "Welcome back, Sami." And although defenceman Sami Salo's lungs were burning and he was physically spent, he couldn't begin to tell you how good it felt to be back. Or at least on the way back. Just over five months after rupturing his Achilles tendon while playing floorball near his off-season home in Finland, Salo returned Wednesday to participate in his first full practice with his Canucks teammates. "I feel pretty good out there," Salo said. "I haven't played in eight months and it doesn't happen by pressing a button to get back to game speed with timing and"
With Salo set to test Achilles, only time will tell how roster will eventually flush out
December 6
Vancouver Province
 
"Sami Salo suggested Sunday that he's close to skating and that the fun is about to start for the injury-plagued defenceman. If so, the work will soon start for the Vancouver Canucks braintrust to balance the eventual return of the blueliner — who has been on long-term injury relief — against restraints of the salary cap because they're right at the ceiling. "Everything has gone real well and I'm hoping that it [skating] could be any day," said Salo, who suffered an Achilles rupture July 22 while playing floorball in his native Finland. "I feel really good and I want to see where I'm at. I'm really confident that everything will feel good because I haven't felt any pain in a long time. From"
Salo worries shot at Stanley Cup could be slipping away
November 29
Vancouver Province
 
"Sami Salo has never lost his sense of humour through 40 career injuries, but losing out on what could be his last shot at a Stanley Cup championship has the Vancouver Canucks defenceman showing a more serious side. Sidelined since a freak Achilles rupture suffered July 22 while playing floorball in his native Finland, he's encouraged by off-ice shooting and passing drills to inch closer to a day when he can actually skate again. But the very nature of the injury has Salo more cautious than before. He lost 10 per cent of muscle tone in each month since the setback and is slowly building it back up."
Why the secrecy surrounding Salo's injury?
July 26
Vancouver Province
 
"'Sami Salo seriously injured again' is the headline in the Friday July 23 edition of Helsingin Sanomat, over a file photo of Salo on a stormy Stanley Park seawall and the caption: Dark clouds hanging over Salo's hockey career again. But that was pretty well it for news of Salo's ruptured Achilles tendon, suffered playing the Nordic game of floorball, back in his homeland. Salo has won Olympic silver and bronze representing Finland, but apparently lacks the star appeal of, say, a Steve Nash or Justin Morneau, who if they were to suffer a possible career-ending injury kicking a soccer ball around in the offseason back in B.C. it would be news splashed all over the place. But a quick scan of"
Salo hurt already, may affect Bieksa's status
July 24
Vancouver Province
 
"It's hardly a shocker, but Sami Salo is already hurt. According to a report out of Finland Friday morning, and confirmed later by the Vancouver Canucks, the famously fragile defenceman tore his Achilles tendon playing floorball in his homeland – a sort of high-end floor hockey played with a wiffle ball that's popular in Europe. One report said the injury occurred in June. The Canucks refused comment other than to confirm the injury and say Salo is expected to be out "indefinitely," but some reports have the 35-year-old Finn on the sidelines for three to five months. One report had the injury occurring last month. It's not a stretch to see Salo out until Christmas. Canucks vice-president"
Salo's injury woes a joke that's worn out its welcome
July 24
Vancouver Province
 
"There was only one possible reaction when news landed Friday that Sami Salo had torn his Achilles heel playing floorball in Finland, a non-contact sport that uses a Wiffle ball: "Of course, he did." For this one, you can skip past shock, even though it's an injury virtually unheard of in hockey (the on-ice version, anyway). It's Salo's 40th injury and our senses have been so dulled by that numbing count, this one barely registers on the surprise meter. Salo, 35, has been injured in so many wild and unexpected ways — the badly bruised testicle and pulled buttocks leap to mind — his injuries, and the subsequent jokes, have become tired cliches. Long past funny, Salo's injury woes have become"
Salo's freak injury leaves Canucks scrambling
July 24
Vancouver Province
 
"A potentially career-threatening injury to defenceman Sami Salo changes everything for the Vancouver Canucks this summer. Salo is likely out for at least three months, and probably a lot longer, after suffering a torn Achilles tendon while playing floorball in Finland. His injury throws a wrench into the team's off-season plans. For starters, Kevin Bieska's days as a member of the Canucks may no longer be numbered. Bieksa and his $3.5 million US salary have been on the trading block as he was deemed expendable with the acquisitions of Keith Ballard and Dan Hamhuis. Now everything changes. Salo could be gone until Christmas and while the Canucks thought they could live without Bieksa, they"
Canucks' Sami Salo out indefinitely with torn Achilles tendon
July 23
Vancouver Sun
 
"The Vancouver Canucks have confirmed that defenceman Sami Salo suffered a torn Achilles tendon while training and is out indefinitely pending further evaluation. In a brief statement this morning, the Canucks said "there will be no further comment from the club or Salo at this time." Canucks vice-president of communications TC Carling, however, said on Twitter: "I spoke with Sami this morning. He was playing floorball with other hockey players from Finland. Has been doing so for the past 15 years." The story broke early today when a report out of Finland said Salo suffered the injury while playing floor hockey and will be out at least three months."
Gritty effort by Salo in loss to Chicago
May 12
Vancouver Province
 
""Balls of steel. Balls of steel." When another sold-out GM Place throng broke out in unison to serenade Sami Salo with that chant Tuesday, it was a fitting compliment to the much-maligned Finn. Say what you want about the Vancouver Canucks defenceman and 40 career injuries that have sidelined him in every imaginable way, the fact he found a way to endure searing testicle pain in what would be the last game of the Western Conference semifinal shouldn't just be a series footnote. It was a statement. After all, when Alex Edler was lost to a right ankle injury in the first period after being belted into the cornerboards on a heavy check from Dustin Byfuglien, the Canucks were down to five"
Salo recovered enough to possibly play in Game 6
May 11
NHL.com
 
"Ryan Kesler can't imagine a worse injury to try to play through. Shane O'Brien wanted to cross his legs as he spoke about it. Canucks defenseman Sami Salo is a game-time decision for Game 6 Tuesday (9:30 p.m. ET, VERSUS, CBC, RDS) at GM Place against Chicago after taking a shot off the, well, most delicate area on the male body late in the first period of Game 5 two nights ago. He had to be taken to a Chicago-area hospital via ambulance, and it originally was reported that he had suffered a ruptured testicle, two words that should never be used in hockey -- or really anywhere else in life. However, Salo was on the ice with the Canucks for their pre-game skate Tuesday morning, and despite"
Sami Salo not limping despite groin pain, 'day-to-day' for Game 6
May 11
Vancouver Sun
 
"Sami Salo walked off the Vancouver Canucks' charter Monday afternoon without a noticeable limp. No crutches. No cane. No wheelchair. Salo was carrying his own luggage and not carrying an ice pack. So how good is this for the Canucks as they face elimination again Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks? No one is saying. Blackhawks lead the series 3-2 going into Tuesday's contest (6:30 p.m., CBC, Team 1040). "Sami is day-to-day," solemnly declared Canuck head coach Alain Vigneault, who dispenses all medical information to the media. "All I can say for now is it's day-to-day." "I don't know Sami's status," added captain Roberto Luongo. "Hopefully he'll be good to go, which I don't know. It"
Sami Salo's testicle is still intact
May 10
Vancouver Province
 
"Sami Salo may have dodged a bullet. He was believed to have a testicle injury after he was hit with a Duncan Keith slap shot near the end of the first. Salo was taken to hospital and a TSN report said it was a precaution for a possible ruptured testicle."
Sami Salo's testicular injury could be just as painful for Canucks
May 10
Vancouver Sun
 columnist Ian MacIntyre
"The Vancouver Canucks aren't giggling because there is nothing funny about the testicular injury Sami Salo suffered Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Struck by Duncan Keith's point shot just before the first-period horn, Salo barely made it off the ice with the help of trainers and teammates and was later transported to a Chicago hospital. The team issued no statement on Salo's condition and coach Alain Vigneault promised to know more Monday. It's almost inconceivable the Finnish defenceman will play Tuesday, when Vancouver must win again to force a seventh game in its second-round National Hockey League playoff series. Detroit Red Wing Niklas Lidstrom required testicular surgery but"
Canuck Sami Salo out with suspected testicle injury
May 10
Vancouver Province
 
"The defence of the Vancouver Canucks was out to prove a point here on Sunday in Game 5 with the Blackhawks. They were well on their way, with a solid first period against a Hawks team that came out flat, when the roof appeared to cave in. Leading 2-0 on goals by blueliners Christian Ehrhoff and Kevin Bieksa, the Canucks were killing a penalty in the final seconds of the first period when key D-man Sami Salo was hit in front of the net by a Duncan Keith slapshot in the spot that most males would cringe at the thought of. Salo lay on the ice writhing in agony for several minutes after the period ended and had to be helped to the Canucks' dressing room by Vancouver trainers still hunched"
Rock solid Salo ready for a breather
April 26
Vancouver Province
 
"Vancouver fans can breathe easier for a few more days after spending the last 12 holding their air every time Sami Salo goes onto the ice. Given his history and the way he's been playing so well, any real Canucks fan is always a little bit worried in the back of his or her mind that the season might go down the tube with one big hit. Or even a little one, or even when Sami is scoring a goal. Give him a hard time about his injured past, he's on board. But also give him credit for co-leading this Vancouver defence at age 35. Granted both Christian Ehrhoff and Alex Edler both played more at 25 minutes in the game six clincher as the coach shortened the bench, Andrew Alberts playing just one"