Montreal Canadiens forward Rene Bourque is out 8 to 12 weeks after undergoing abdominal surgery on Wednesday. Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin announced in a release that the surgery to repair an abdominal wall tear was successful. The release stated that Bourque suffered the injury during his offseason training program.
Bourque was traded to Montreal from Calgary last season after a tumultuous stretch with the Flames that featured multiple suspensions and some media members questioning his commitment. He finished the 2011-12 season with 24 points in 68 games.
With a potential recovery time of two to three months, Bourque may not miss any games with the ongoing labor impasse. There's pessimism surrounding the talks for a new CBA between Donald Fehr and Gary Bettman, and the potential of a lockout grows with each day as players consider playing overseas. The season is currently slated to begin October 11 and Bourque would miss about 20 games if out for the full 12 weeks.
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