Really sorry to hear about Ward for you Caniacs. Just came here to shed some light on an MCL sprain as I recently sprained my right MCL (grade 2, partial tear, not as bad as Ward's). While I'm not a doctor/trainer, I can share my experiences as a goalie and how it may translate. Some of this may be old news/retold info...
The MCL is the ligament on the inside of the knee. When it is torn, it causes major instability when the knee is moved in the direction of the MCL. Basically, your knee can move in 3 directions (forward, backward, outside) fine, but when it moves to the inside, if feels really unstable. "Wonky" is a description I would use...it has a locking in/out of place feeling. Walking is ok, but if you twitch or twist your knee to the inside, it stops you in your tracks, and for me, followed with expletives.
Where it really effects a goalie, as evidenced by Ward's second injury stoppage, is in the butterfly. When you go down in the butterfly, your knees naturally move to the inside, something quite painful if you are down a functioning MCL. T-glides are also tough because although you can push off on the injured leg moving to the left, turning your leg to glide to the right is rough. Kick saves can also be tough since, when the leg is stretched, the knee moves down towards the ice, stressing the MCL.
Rehab will involve balance and mobility exercises to get it back to strengthen the knee and get it to where it was, so you don't constantly favor one leg. Stretching is also important to get the knee back to where it is comfortable moving in all 4 directions.
Hopefully this was informative in someway...wishing Ward a speedy recovery, especially since I have an idea of his pain.
The MCL is the ligament on the inside of the knee. When it is torn, it causes major instability when the knee is moved in the direction of the MCL. Basically, your knee can move in 3 directions (forward, backward, outside) fine, but when it moves to the inside, if feels really unstable. "Wonky" is a description I would use...it has a locking in/out of place feeling. Walking is ok, but if you twitch or twist your knee to the inside, it stops you in your tracks, and for me, followed with expletives.
Where it really effects a goalie, as evidenced by Ward's second injury stoppage, is in the butterfly. When you go down in the butterfly, your knees naturally move to the inside, something quite painful if you are down a functioning MCL. T-glides are also tough because although you can push off on the injured leg moving to the left, turning your leg to glide to the right is rough. Kick saves can also be tough since, when the leg is stretched, the knee moves down towards the ice, stressing the MCL.
Rehab will involve balance and mobility exercises to get it back to strengthen the knee and get it to where it was, so you don't constantly favor one leg. Stretching is also important to get the knee back to where it is comfortable moving in all 4 directions.
Hopefully this was informative in someway...wishing Ward a speedy recovery, especially since I have an idea of his pain.