Q&A with Chris Curran.

When Chris Curran’s 2008-09 season ended before that of his teammates, it merely meant that the Reign forward got to make his plans for 2009-10 that much earlier.

“Right after the injury, (head coach Karl Taylor) said he wanted me to come back,” Curran said from his home in Mississauga, Ontario. “Injury or not, I was coming back no matter what. The season, the fans, the organization was amazing. It’d be crazy not to want to go back to Ontario, it’s such a good spot.”

Here’s what else Curran had to say about the injury, his rehab, and the upcoming season…

What’s your rehab schedule been like?
“For the last five months, I’ve been doing physio three times a week for two, two and a half hours. Massage therapy, working out the scar tissue on my leg. Probably the last two weeks I’ve started light weight training and riding bikes. Last week I got on the ice once, testing it out. It went really well. I didn’t do anything too quick, just seeing how my leg reacted to different motions of skating. It requires diffrent muscles than working out.”

What does your timetable to resume playing look like?
“The thing that worried me was after my surgery. The guy who did my surgery was saying it would be about 9 months before I’d be able to play again, but the way things have been going, they’ve cleared me to do a lot more working out to get back on the ice. The way things look I’m going to be ahead of schedule. After the whole incident I was told it’s going to be a lot worse.”

Will you be ready to practice when training camp starts in October?
“I’ll start easing myself in depending on how the skates go. It all depends on how much my leg can take. It’s easing it in and gaining that muscle back that I’ve lost. I’m thinking late November, early December I should be going good. I’m sure I’ll be skating after all the guys are done, by myself afterward, just to work on things. I want to ease my way into it and do a lot of workouts.”

What exactly was the injury you sustained (in the final regular season game in Bakersfield?
“It was an upper femur break, broken right in half. They put a titanium rod into my leg. We’ve taken a couple x-rays since and everything looks good now. The bone is completely healing. The rod will stay in my leg, just to reinforce the break.”

What’s it going to be like going through metal detectors?
“I flew somewhere about a month ago and had no trouble. It didn’t turn off the sensor.”

What do you think about the team Taylor is putting together for this season?
“From what i’ve seen, he’s bringing back some key guys. He’s kept all the core guys. With the new guys, they’re character guys from what I’ve heard. They seem like really good guys. I’m expecting quite a bit from our team. Karl brings in character hockey players, and that’s what we need to take the next level.”

How do you envision your role within the new group?
“My role is a PKer, playing the body. I just want to maintain my role, keep doing what I do. I want to be that guy — that core guy with the PK. I love to block shots, play that body. I can’t wait to lay the first hit. I’m just really excited to get back on the ice, play my role.”

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.