BY GENE PRINCIPE
sportsnet.ca

If you were at Edmonton Oilers practice Monday morning, you may have wrenched your neck for a second look on the ice to see if that indeed was Ales Hemsky skating with the Oilers. The first and second take were both correct as it was Hemsky practising with his teammates.

"It felt good to get out on the ice, and I felt fine when it came to shooting, skating and handling the puck," said Hemsky.

It was the first time Hemsky practised with Edmonton since his season ended on Nov. 25 when he was hit from behind by L.A.'s Michal Handzus. It was the final straw on a wonky left shoulder that as a result of that hit and years of wear and tear needed season-ending surgery on Dec. 8.

"The surgeon told me the recovery time to play is about 4-6 months. April 8th will be four months," explained Hemsky. "But I would say right now I'm about 70-80 percent and it could take up to an entire year to be 100 per cent."

The right winger had been skating in track pants and on his own for the past two weeks but this was the first time he came in contact with his team. That's the only contact he'll be getting; the shoulder isn't ready for anything physical.

"I'm not prepared for hitting, the shoulder isn't healed enough for that. It will take some time before I'm able to do that. It still feels a little tight when I move it but it's getting much better so I won't be coming back to play."

While Hemsky hadn't been seen until Monday, he's been at the rink working out and says he's kept himself in very good shape. In good enough shape that if the Oilers weren't mathematically eliminated and the post-season was a possibility, he might be playing.

"It's hard to answer that question because it can't happen, but if we were in the playoffs I would definitely try and play. I don't know if I could but I would try and see if the shoulder would be strong enough," said Hemsky.

In the 22 games he did play this year Hemsky averaged a point per game with seven goals and 15 assists and is still the team leader with a plus-seven rating.