After news broke last week, we all suspected this would happen — Kimmo Timonen has been cleared to skate after being sidelined for the entire season.
Timonen announced the news via his foundation’s Twitter earlier this evening:
Finally got some good news today!! Back to skating tomorrow after 8 months of RESTING.I will probably feel like I am 25 again!
— Kime4kids (@kime4kids) February 6, 2015
During the first intermission of the Flyers–Islanders game, Timonen held a press conference, in which he explained that the blood clots — which had kept him out of play — weren’t going anywhere. Regardless, he and his doctors suspect that he’s in good enough health to begin play again.
Here’s a quick rundown of what he said at the press conference:
Recap: Kimmo’s coming back, will skate alone for 7-10 days and then reassess. Said this year is it for him, did not rule out deadline trade.
— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) February 6, 2015
Of course, Timonen hasn’t skated in eight months, so it’s unclear how quickly we’ll see him back in action. According to Timonen, it could take about two weeks.
Obviously, this is fantastic news, and every Flyers fan is surely more than excited to see him return.