A third medical opinion convinced Connor McDavid to adopt a unique rehab plan following a serious left knee injury in last year's season finale, allowing the Edmonton Oilers captain to return for the 2019-20 opener.
"Connor McDavid: Whatever It Takes," a documentary, showcases McDavid's non-surgical strategy following the injury April 6, 2019 in Calgary.
After an initial examination, McDavid was sent to Colorado for a second opinion. Surgery was recommended, with an estimated recovery time of about a year.
McDavid then made the decision to go to Los Angeles for another consultation, with doctors telling him they felt surgery was too risky for several tears in his knee and a tibial plateau fracture.
"I have to make this crazy decision that is either going to make or break [how] 20 years of my life plays out, how the rest of my life plays out," McDavid, who suffered the injury crashing into a goal post, says in the documentary.
"I've got to make this decision at 22 and I've to make it in 24 hours."
McDavid says surgery already was scheduled before he made the call not to go under the knife.
The documentary shows Mark Lindsay, a soft tissue specialist and chiropractor, as one of the leaders of the team guiding the rehab process.
Longtime NHL player and personal trainer Gary Roberts, former Olympic figure skater Tracy Wilson, a gymnastics coach and a movement coach also are shown as key figures in the rehab.
The plan, which the film says lasted 179 days and featured 1,000 hours of rehab, included 40 sessions in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, pool work and exercises on a trampoline and balance beam.
Story continues on airdrietoday.com