EAST MEADOW, NY — New York Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly, who suffered a concussion against the Buffalo Sabers on Nov. 1, underwent tests.
During his testing, it was discovered that Reilly had a heart problem that he had already been born with but had not yet been able to detect.
“It was picked up through the different echocardiograms that you do for the different reasons that you go through in any post-concussion situation,” Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello said. “It’s probably a blessing in disguise for what happened.” They figured it out, something you’re sometimes born with but never knew.
“[His quality of life will be] 100 percent and after that procedure he will be able to play,” Lamoriello said. “It takes a lot of time. It could take a few months to come back because of the type of procedure.”
But to our surprise, Reilly was on the ice Saturday morning with Dennis Seidenberg, the former Islanders defenseman turned development coach.
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He was wearing his normal training jersey.
There’s no timetable for his return, but what a sign to see the No. 2 back on the ice within two months of heart surgery.