| Hockey Heaven: Articles: Ferraro glad to help, not hurt |
| by Joe Gordon Tuesday, January 19, 1999 Peter Ferraro would absolutely agree that a regular shift and two assists in an 8-1 win over Nashville yesterday is better than a sharp stick in the eye. Come to think of it, a sharp stick in the eye is about the only injury Ferraro hasn't suffered in the first half of this season. Ferraro, who will celebrate his 26th birthday on Sunday, busted his hump to make the Bruins in training camp after signing a free-agent pact in July following stints in the Rangers and Penguins organizations. Ferraro missed nine games with a chest sprain from Dec. 1-23 and then walked around dizzy missing three more games while he was nursing post-concussion syndrome from Jan. 7-15. ``I struggled at first with that chest injury, so that was kind of frustrating,'' said Ferraro, who played briefly for the University of Maine (1993-94). ``Then the concussion came and it just seemed that I was going in spurts and the two injuries set me back a bit,'' he said of this year's woes. ``I felt like I wasn't a part of the team. To come back and be able to contribute is real nice.'' Ferraro, playing right wing on a line with Joe Thornton at center and Steve Heinze on the left, dished out assists on a pair of Heinze goals that broke open a close game in the second period at the FleetCenter. Ferraro called the decision he made to sign with the Bruins a blessing. ``It was a great decision,'' Ferraro said. ``I knew that coming in here I had to make the team. I had to come here and prove myself and that's what I did. ``And it's really nice to be able to contribute.'' Ferraro is still trying to make his way back to 100 percent health while taking the punishment associated with the way he plays the game - all-out and hard-nosed. ``For the most part I feel good, but that's the life of a pro athlete,'' he said. ``You play through injuries and you've got to battle. A lot of guys play with injuries. ``The only thing I'm struggling with now is the setback of having the two injuries and not being able to be on the ice as frequent as the other guys. ``It definitely takes away from your conditioning. You can ride the bike and run and do as much as you want off-ice, but it's a different story when you get on the ice.'' Ferraro and his linemates accounted for three goals and three assists yesterday with Ferraro's two helpers giving him 5-6-11 in 28 games. ``The big thing with our line is Joe has great speed and Heinzie has a great shot,'' said Ferraro. ``For me, all I have to really do is get in there and stir things up, play feisty, play hard, forecheck hard and do my job. ``Joe with his size and strength is going to be able to hold off guys and Heinzie knows where to put the puck if we get it to him.'' © 1998 Boston Herald |