Manning Undergoes Successful Surgery

Toronto – Toronto Rock forward Blaine Manning underwent successful surgery on Friday to repair a broken collarbone.  The injury happened in Toronto’s January 14th loss to Buffalo and if the recovery from the broken collarbone stays on track, Manning will be back in the Rock lineup in 6-8 weeks.

“I knew right away,” explained Manning when asked about his feeling after taking the hit that broke his collarbone.  “When I was 9 or 10 I broke my collarbone playing hockey.  I had a pretty good idea it was the collarbone and it wasn’t good.  I just tried to get to the bench and to the trainer as quick as possible.”

Manning was moved to the injured reserve last week for the first time in his NLL career.  Previous to the injury, the 11-year Rock veteran had played in every single game throughout his pro career – 162 straight regular season games and 177 in total including playoffs.

For the first time in more than 10 seasons, the Rock will go into battle without the services of the four-time Champion’s Cup winner on Friday night against Rochester at Air Canada Centre.

“I just take things as they come,” said Manning  “I’ve been fortunate to play as long as I have without having to watch a game.  I figure everyone’s due at some point.  I’m excited to watch the guys play and it’s a game we need to win.”

Potentially attempting to fill the void left by Manning will be forwards Jamie Rooney and the recently acquired Brenden Thenhaus.

“They’re both great players,” Manning said of Rooney and Thenhaus.  “They’re going to fit in nicely.  They’re both veterans of the league and have been around for a long time.  I don’t think it’s going to be anything that they haven’t already experienced in the league and it’s just a matter of going in there and doing their thing.”

The new look Rock offence will be on display on Friday night at Air Canada Centre on Bachly Construction Night as Toronto hosts Rochester at 7pm.  For tickets or more information, please visit www.torontorock.com or call 416-596-3075 and speak with a ticket representative.  Friday’s game can also be seen live on TSN2.