Dan Hamhuis is “100 percent” ready to play for both the Vancouver Canucks and Team Canada, he told Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy Friday.
The blue-liner has been out of the Canucks lineup since Monday when he was injured during a 2-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. He has been listed by the team as day-to-day during a difficult road trip for the club. Some suspected Hamhuis may have suffered a concussion, but Canucks GM Mike Gillis said that it was a groin injury.
Hamhuis practised with the Canucks Friday in Toronto in advance of the team’s game against the Maple Leafs Saturday, when Vancouver tries to snap out of its season-worst six-game losing skid.
“I felt good today. I was just being cautious to make sure everything was 100 percent. I didn’t want anything to regress and go backwards,” Hamhuis said. “With the slump we’re going through, it’s tough not to play in those games. And with the Olympics coming up, I want to make sure my body’s healthy. I’m really happy that the injury has come around quickly.”
The 31-year-old native of Smithers, B.C., will be in the lineup against the Leafs and is ready to fly to Sochi with the rest of Team Canada on Sunday.
Hamhuis watched as both a Canucks teammate, Henrik Sedin, and a Canadian teammate, Steven Stamkos, were forced to pull out of the Olympics this week due to injuries.
