MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. — Torey Krug always knew something was there when, by his account, he was shoved into the boards from behind during the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The defenseman felt that with time, healing and rehabilitation that the left ankle injury he sustained, including fractured bones, against the Tampa Bay Lightning as a member of the Boston Bruins would eventually subside.
Six years later and finally coming to a head, the 33-year-old St. Louis Blues defenseman realized it wasn’t going to get any better without surgery — an almost unprecedented surgery, one in which was the absolute last resort.
Krug won’t play in 2024-25 after being diagnosed with a pre-arthritic condition in his left ankle that will require surgery, fusing the ankle bone together with screws, a procedure that’s not all-too common with results different for each individual.
The realization came to ahead Wednesday when Krug, who played in a Blues season-high 77 games last season, spoke for the first time since the team announced July 16 what he was dealing with and how tough it’s been.
“It was one of those things where over time it got worse,” Krug said. “Anyone with arthritis knows that there’s some good days and there’s some bad days. I was able to tolerate it for so long and we did many things to help with that, whether it was different treatments. I’ve done injections to try and help with the pain and was able to do that and for a long time to be honest, playing hockey was one of those things that helped with it because I was in a boot and you’re provided a lot of support that way. For the most part, it was a lot of the off-ice stuff that gave me a lot of issues. When it got to the point when being on the ice was starting to hurt it a lot, that’s when red flags were going up that there might be things there to take care of. It’s tough. I don’t know what a healthy ankle feels like. As far as pain level goes, it’s always there. Like I said, some days are better than other days.”
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So putting on a hockey skate was tolerable but taking it off wasn’t. Not an ideal situation, and even though Krug was able to play in the most regular-season games last season (77) since playing in 81 with the Bruins in 2016-17, having to manage discomfort and ultimately, pain, finally broke the veteran down.
“Last year I was able to manage it a little bit better, and this summer for so long, I was able to find different exercises and sit on the bike a little bit more, which you’re not weight-bearing as much and putting too much on the ankle,” Krug said. “I thought I could get away with that if I could just go skate for the whole summer and stay in shape that way. Obviously I wasn’t able to. It has been, even the first year I came back from it, it was tough, but I’ve been able to get through it and it’s been getting worse and worse.”
Krug’s and the Blues’ last hope was to take 6-8 weeks to rehabilitate and hope for proper results as September rolled around. Some wonder why just not get the procedure done right after the season to get a four-plus month head start on potentially returning to the lineup one day, even as early as this season, best case scenario.
“Sitting down with my wife and my family, I never thought I would have to get the surgery this soon,” Krug said. “I felt good leaving St. Louis last year. I thought the things I was doing, I’d be able to progress and play hockey. The following few weeks after that when I’d pick up my training, there were some red flags where I’d have to get on the phone and talk to the Blues and let them know what was going on. That’s just the disappointing part because at the end of last year, I was fully prepared for another season in St. Louis and progressing my career.”
Now comes the mental challenge of not playing some form of organized hockey for the first time in over 20 years.
“You know what, it hasn’t hit me too much,” Krug said. “It has been mentally tough for sure, but I think now being around the rink and seeing the guys and watching the preparation they’re doing that for 13 years, that’s what I’ve been doing, that’s all I’ve known come September after Labor Day, you’re gearing up for a training camp and knowing I’m not going to be playing this year. It’s been a grind for sure. The pain and stuff we go through as athletes, a lot of it you can kind of push aside. You don’t understand and don’t realize what it’s going to do to you mentally. I’ve been grinding a little bit on that front, but I’ve got a great support staff. My family has been awesome. The Blues have been great as well. My teammates have been awesome. I’m going to have to lean on a lot of people for sure.
“Thirty-three years old and when you miss a whole year of hockey, obviously those things cross your mind. I don’t want to look too far ahead, but those are things you definitely think about.”
And as much as nobody wants to think about the end, there’s no guarantee that Krug hasn’t played his final NHL game, considering the fact that there are few, if any, hockey players have had this procedure done before.
“Hockey player-wise, not many, if any at all,” Krug said. “Obviously, they’re doing their due diligence on the process and how to rehab things, make sure I’m coming out of it feeling better. Most importantly, I’m going to feel better as a person and from there I’ll see how it goes from a rehab standpoint. I’m very comfortable with the people leading me down that path.
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“I’ve got to get a couple screws in there to fuse a couple bones together. It’s a sub-talar fusion, which is a pretty big surgery and process, especially for a 33-year-old man. A lot of people that get this procedure done are a lot older than I am. It’s going to be a tough one for sure, but we’ll see how it all shakes out.”
There are risks as athletes to injury. Nobody signs up for this type of injury, but these players aren’t immune to them. But now that Krug has his diagnosis and challenge ahead, he has motivation to try and return to the game.
“I’ve always wanted to see my kids watch me play and see how hard I work,” Krug said. “I don’t think regardless of what you’re doing, they’re going to see, even if it’s away from the rink, how hard I work, being a parent, working on the house, doing stuff in the yard, they’re going to see that. I just think it’s in your DNA. It’s tough but the mental side of it’s just going to be just as tough as the physical side.
“… You want to win a Stanley Cup and I’ve had a chance to compete for … I went to two finals (2013 and 2019 vs. the Blues) and you make the playoffs so many times and you understand what comes with the job, all the injuries. There’s other things that obviously come into play that I can make a living for a family and set up your kids. You don’t want to trade that. A lot of great memories for sure.”
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