Kyle Okposo’s toughest opponent the first three months of the hockey season has been boredom.
The Islanders forward has missed the first 44 games of the season following shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum suffered in late September, days before his season was to begin.
Okposo will make his season debut Thursday night when the Islanders play host to the Capitals.
“Just bored a lot, watched a lot of hockey, anything I can do to pass the time,” Okposo said in an interview posted on the team’s website.
Okposo had to keep off the ice for two months following the surgery because of fears he would fall and reinjure the shoulder. Okposo, 22, is considered one of the players who will bring respectable play back to Nassau Coliseum for long-suffering Islanders fans.
The news of Okposo’s injury in September came after the team lost top defenseman Mark Streit for six months, also with a shoulder injury.
“You just to go play, get my legs under me and get the speed of the game back,” Okposo said of the game against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals.