"Josh Harding remains haunted by the pain that exploded in his right leg. A collision in the crease during a preseason game in St. Louis on Sept. 24 turned ligaments in the Wild goaltender's knee into spaghetti and plunged him into despair. The 26-year-old dreaded waiting for doctors to confirm about his shattered limb what he already knew in his heavy heart. The season in which Harding was poised to reaffirm his potential as a No. 1 goalie in the NHL was finished — not even 14 minutes into Minnesota's preseason opener. "It's the worst feeling in the world," he recalled. Harding had torn his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments and suffered a deep bone bruise after Blues forward Brad Boyes crushed his leg in a freak accident. Reconstructive surgery, followed by months of isolating rehabilitation, shook Harding's confidence, warped his sense of identity and challenged his resilience. Having endured two major surgeries on his legs, including a left hip operation, in the past 11 months, Harding has much to prove to the Wild and the rest of the league. His contract expires June 30, when he will become an unrestricted free agent for the first time. Time, Harding's constant companion during recovery, now is his worst enemy. With only five weeks remaining in the regular season, he is in the final throes of rehab, back on the ice and smiling again, confident he will be able to resume his once-promising career. Harding, however, is unlikely to play for the Wild in 2010-11, and perhaps ever again, unless they make a playoff run and either Niklas Backstrom or Jose Theodore becomes injured. The Feb. 28 trade deadline also was the last day the Wild could assign Harding to a conditioning stint with Houston of the American Hockey League. " Read more: http://www.twincities.com/wild/ci_17547937?nclick_check=1
