By Tom Keppeler, Knee1 Staff
Rookie New York Rangers defenseman Tomas Kloucek will be sidelined for the remainder of the season after tearing his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments over the weekend.
Kloucek attempted to check Ray Ferraro of the Atlanta Thrashers before running into the boards with his left knee in the third period of Sunday's game. According to the Associated Press, Kloucek will undergo surgery in about six weeks to tear the torn ACL, giving him enough time for the MCL to heal. During the six-week healing process, his left leg will remain in a brace, team doctors said.
Kloucek, who joined the Rangers in 1998, has scored one goal and made four assists in 43 games played.
The MCL, or medial collateral ligament, runs from the tibia, or shinbone, to the femur, or leg bone and stabilizes the knee against side-to-side movement. Most often torn by a blow from the outside of the knee, the MCL may also be torn by excessive twisting of the leg. To read more about this type of injury, click here.
