Casey Borer fighting his way back to the ice

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Some good news out of Albany as Casey Borer has finally returned to skating with his teammates after a tough stretch in his road to recovery:

Borer, 24, returned to the ice this week and was practicing Thursday at Times Union Center with the Rats. He is still at least a month from returning to game action after having surgery Sept. 22, but he savors what he has on and off the ice a lot more.

"I'm really lucky to come out of it and still be able to walk and talk and breathe," said Borer, a 2004 third-round draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes. "At first I was more worried about playing hockey, but when you look back at it, just be thankful for what you have. I'm very appreciative I'm in this situation where I can attempt to come back."

Borer was the most critically injured among the 29 people aboard the team bus that crashed on its side on a snowy early morning along the Massachusetts Turnpike.

He began skating lightly in April and expected to be at full speed for training camp, but over the summer he said that he felt something wasn't quite right.

Borer went to three doctors in his home area of Minneapolis for second opinions, and each told him something different.

"I was pumped for training camp," he said. "I got hurt in February. That's a long time not to play. I was ready to go. I was home, and something's not right. I'm just going to get a second opinion. Luckily I did. I went to a couple of different doctors. Everyone was telling me different stuff.

"It got to the point where, all right, I have three opinions back home now, I've got to call the team and tell them that something went awry, whether it was the healing process or the original diagnosis. They had their guys look at it, and they agreed with what was said back in Minnesota. From my understanding, I would have been a risk factor without (surgery).

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=873735&category=ALBANY&BCCode=&newsdate=12/4/2009#ixzz0YyFuebNm