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DWAYNE’S PAIN
The Simcoe Reformer Samantha Craggs - SIMCOE REFORMER
Wednesday June 07, 2006 An injury has forced him out of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but home-town hero Dwayne Roloson has lost none of his shine with hockey fans.
Playing baseball in a public school tournament yesterday in Simcoe, Jakob Schira, Austin Munday, Sean Cole and Liz Chittam, all 14, were disappointed to see Roloson injure his knee Monday night against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“I don’t think the Cup’s coming to Simcoe this year,” said Chittam, of Bealton. “The only way Edmonton was going to win was with Roloson. They were 3-1 (in Monday’s game) with Roloson and ended up losing the lead. He was their only chance.”
Roloson was knocked out of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final when Oiler Marc-Andre Bergeron ran Carolina forward Andrew Ladd into the crease, sending Roloson crumpling to the ice with an injury to his right knee. Oilers coach Craig MacTavish delivered the news to the media with a simple “goalie’s not good. He won’t be back in the series.” Edmonton lost 5-4.
It is especially disappointing because “it was his own guy, kind of,” said Cole, who plays hockey in Simcoe like Roloson once did.
“If Edmonton won, it would be great because Dwayne Roloson worked really hard and their players are phenomenal.”
Before Monday’s injury, Roloson was regarded as a potential Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the most valuable player in the NHL playoffs.
Chittam said the ultimate dream would be Edmonton lasting until game seven and Roloson “making an awesome comeback and winning the game for them.”
Many analysts are predicting a tough road ahead for the Oilers, who now have to turn to backup goaltenders Ty Conklin and Jussi Markkanen to replace Roloson.
Still, home-town fans are hopeful the Oilers can win the series, paving the way for the Stanley Cup to visit Simcoe this summer.
Mark Stephens, Roloson’s friend and manager of Roulstons in the Simcoe Mall, has no plans to remove the airbrushed artwork on the store window cheering on Roloson.
“It’s still a team he plays for, and a Canadian team, and we’ll keep it up throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs,” Stephens said. Stephens has been an Oilers fan for years, therefore “I’m feeling a little down today.”
So was Howie Yin, co-owner of The Greens at Renton and the man behind the “Keep On Rollin, Roli #35” stickers seen around Norfolk. Yin was at the game in Raleigh, North Carolina when the injury happened.
Yin went to the dressing room to see his friend after the game but he was still being treated.
“I’m more concerned about Dwayne,” he said. “If he’s out, he’s lost a chance to compete for the Cup. But (Edmonton’s) chances of winning are just as good, and he’s a big part of that. He’s helped them get there.”
Roloson said after the game that his knee should heal quickly, but not in time for the Stanley Cup final. The injury is diagnosed as a third-degree sprain of his right medial collateral ligament.
That ligament is located on the inside of the knee and normally tightens when the leg is bent. In extreme cases, the ligament can completely tear, said Chad Fleck, an athletic therapist at Queen-West Physiotherapy. Diminishing the swelling is usually the first priority. It is normally not treated with surgery, but may be in high level athletics depending on the case.
Once the swelling goes down, the injured person can be mobile within four weeks, Fleck said. For an ordinary person who is not a professional athlete, it may take 6-12 weeks. Fleck said it is a common injury in goalies and football players.
Also in Roloson’s corner is his mom, June, who watches every game from her home in Simcoe.
“Every series they’ve been in, they’ve always been running the goaltenders,” she said. “They’re supposed to be protecting the goaltenders.”
June Roloson said the game brings some disappointment, but she still hopes for an Edmonton win.
“He’s worked so hard to get where he is. They all have.”
-- with files from
Canadian Press
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