On schedule with rehab

EVZ has had bad luck with injuries this season, at least worse than usual. Jan Kovar, Sven Senteler and Leonardo Genoni are now back on the ice after lengthy injury breaks. But Brian O’Neill, Tobias Geisser and Riley Sheen, three potential key players, have still been sidelined for several weeks or months. Brian O’Neill has been hit the hardest. The American forward suffered a cervical vertebra injury in a collision with SCB defenseman Marco Maurer during the 6-2 win in Bern on December 9 and had to undergo surgery at Lucerne Cantonal Hospital on December 21. The EVZ announced that he would be out for at least three months.

Irony of fate: Marco Maurer, who was not at fault for the accident, experienced a similar situation at the 2006 U20 World Cup in Sweden. In the 4-0 defeat against Finland, he skidded headfirst into the boards after a collision with an opposing player. The EVZ junior defenseman, who was not even 18 years old at the time, suffered a broken neck. If the bone had shifted just 1.3 millimetres more, the incident would have been fatal. Marco Maurer had to spend time in the Nottwil Paraplegic Center and undergo a long period of rehabilitation with a neck brace. Today, he has forgotten about this accident, even when he collided with Brian O’Neill. “I saw that his head was in an unusual position, but I thought it was more of a concussion,” says the now 35-year-old from Zug, who is not to blame for the unfortunate incident: “I hope the referees see it that way too, was my first thought”. When he learned of the need for an operation and the long-term absence, he wrote O’Neill an encouraging message on Instagram.

A good month and a half after his successful operation, Brian O’Neill is on his way back. His last check-up with the doctor confirmed that he is on schedule with his rehab. He doesn’t feel any disability in his private life, he hasn’t had to wear a neck brace like Marco Maurer. He has been working towards his comeback in the gym for some time now, but caution is still required when doing exercises above his head. He will soon be able to skate on the ice again, but the announced break of three months must be expected before he can compete. The unlucky skater has never let his head drop: “Injuries are part of professional sport, I can deal with them,” he assures us. Mentally, he feels better every week and his confidence is slowly returning. “The most difficult task will be to get my body back to the level it was at before the injury. I will definitely do everything I can to get back on the ice as soon as possible and be a good option in the playoffs.” Before the injury, Brian O’Neill was in top form and one of the most important driving forces behind the EVZ engine. His 21 scoring points in 29 games so far this season are proof of that. With his performances, he had a good chance of extending his contract. He has not yet given up hope of extending his time in Zug. “The EVZ is the perfect employer and my family loves it here. We would love to stay longer!”