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Home  Articles 97/98 Season Surgery today for Drillers' Rattee
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Surgery today for Drillers' Rattee |
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Written by Joanne Ireland
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Tuesday, 31 March 1998 |
Sleep was impossible, the pain harrowing.
At least there were distractions, moments when Todd Rattee could forget about the impending surgery, the recovery that lies ahead.
Midway through the Edmonton Drillers final game of the regular season, a Sunday night National Professional Soccer League tilt against the Cincinnati Silverbacks, the defender went down with a grisly leg injury.
His left ankle was dislocated, the fibula was fractured and numerous ligaments were torn after his foot lodged in the turf.
He will undergo surgery today.
"It's sunk in," he said. "The surgeon gave me the scoop on what's going to happen ... I guess you just have to deal with it."
A steady stream of fans and teammates were at his door and on the phone Sunday night and Monday. His father, who drove in from Vancouver for the game, has stayed in town to see his son through surgery.
The torn ligaments will be attached, a plate and screws will secure his fibula, and pins will be placed across the ankle joint. He will be released Wednesday and be in a cast for at least two months.
This marks Rattee's third surgery in seven months. In September, it was his knee.
Earlier this month, torn ligaments in his right thumb were reattached. He didn't miss a game.
Rattee is hoping he'll be ready for next season. There will be no outdoor soccer this summer.
"I got my foot caught in the turf and I didn't feel it go right away," he said. "It felt like I had sprained my ankle. Then I looked down and I didn't see my foot, it was turned the opposite way.
"I just remember screaming for someone.
"The doctor came out, just took my foot and snapped it back into place. I can't even describe how much that hurt. It was excruciating, something I wouldn't want to go through ever again."
The Drillers, meanwhile, return to the practice field today to begin preparing for the Kansas City Attack.
The two clubs meet Thursday at the Coliseum to open the best-of- three quarterfinals in the National Conference.
First item on the to-do list of head coach Ross Ongaro is to rework his lines. To fill the void in the defence, he could move either Doug Holloway or Kevin Holness back from the midfield, a switch he will contemplate over the next two days.
The Drillers allowed a league low 418 points through 40 games this season, despite a dearth of defenders in the lineup.
Captain Bill Sedgewick was sidelined for 22 games with a broken bone in his foot, then Rick Zenari had to hang up his turf shoes when he began training with the police force.
Rattee, like defenders O'Neill Brown and Shayne Campbell, was playing in his 40th regular-season game.
Sedgewick sat out Sunday's game but will return to the lineup Thursday.
So too will goalkeeper Scott Hileman, who finished the season with a 10.09 points against average, the lowest in the league. Backup Paul Shepherd was between the pipes against Cincinnati.
Playoffs Start Here Thursday
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DRILL BITS
POINT OF ATTACK: The Edmonton Drillers will duke it out against the Kansas City Attack (20-20) in the National Conference quarterfinals. Action gets under way Thursday at the Coliseum. Kickoff is 7:05 p.m. The best-of-three series then moves to Kansas City for the final two games. Game 2 goes Sunday with Game 3, if necessary, scheduled for April 7. The winner advances to the semis, to play the St. Louis Ambush.
FLASHBACK: The Drillers posted the first win in the regular season series against the Attack, a 10-8 win at the Coliseum. After that, it was advantage Attack. KC won the remaining three games.
AT THE WICKET: Tickets are on sale at the Drillers office, IGA, TicketMaster and the Champion outlets. Adult passes are $15, youths and seniors can pick up a ticket for $11. Prices include GST but not the agency fees.
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