Joe Sakic will be lost to the Colorado Avalanche for at least six weeks due to a herniated disc in his back.
The captain originally injured his back during weight training but aggravated the injury on his first shift of the November 28th game against the Phoenix Coyotes.
"He'll continue to be monitored by our medical staff who will prescribe a treatment regimen that will hopefully allow Joe to be back playing as quickly as possible," said executive vice president and general manager Francois Giguere. "Our team physicians are confident that this course of action is the best for Joe at this point in time."
"I'm comfortable with the plan going forward and will work as hard as I always have in order to return to the lineup," explained Sakic.
The 39-year-old has battled the back injury for much of the season and also missed a game with an infected tooth. As a result of the injuries, he has only played in 15 of Colorado's 24 games. Sakic has two goals with 10 assists and a minus-6 rating this season.