Joffrey Lupul is 100% and ready to play after a shoulder separation ended his season March 6, 2012. In the 2011-12 season, Lupul was on his way to a career year with 67 points, but then a shoulder injury caused him to miss the last 16 games of the season. Lupul has had some serious health issues that have caused him to miss chunks of the last 2 seasons, including 2 back surgeries in 2010 and a subsequent blood infection that caused him to lose so much weight, that many of his teammates, when he was with the Anaheim Ducks, nicknamed him “Gollum” (evil skinny creature from the movie Lord of the Rings)

Most recently, Lupul was one of the 2012 finalists for the Bill Masterston trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. If Lupul can pick up this season where he left off in the 2010-11 campaign and actually get the Toronto Maple Leafs back to the playoffs, where they haven’t been since 2004, he might earn himself  a new Lord of the Rings nickname; “Aragorn” (great warrior of hope set to restore order to the world).

To read the NHL.com article related to Joffrey Lupul’s return click on this link: NHL.com.

Dr. Chad Moreau is the President of HockeyOT.com, an online training site dedicated to improving the fitness level of hockey players of all levels. He was the former Strength & Conditioning/Nutrition Consultant for the Edmonton Oilers (NHL) and the Long Beach Ice Dogs (ECHL). For more information please visit hockeyot.com.