Nolan Patrick Pain Free Post-Surgery

VOORHEES — The most painful part of all this for Nolan Patrick isn’t answering redundant questions about his medical history.

It was throwing the first pitch at Wrigley Field.

At least that’s what he said, with a wry smile on his face. He was only eight days removed from abdominal surgery to fix a hernia when he donned a Chicago Cubs jersey and tried to throw a fastball.

Two days later the Flyers selected him with the second-overall pick. The talented center is coming off 46 points in 33 games, a season ruined by injuries. His campaign ended with a leg injury, but it was the hernia that caused him the most time off ice.

“It’s mostly a sharp pain in skating,” he said. “That was the main thing that bothered me. My skating couldn’t get to where it needed to be and you get tired quickly. It’s tough to explain but it’s a sharp shooting pain in your lower stomach. I had it on both sides for a while there. I got one side fixed and then was having issues on that side again.

“I was probably 60 percent when I first started playing and maybe got up to 70, 75 tops. I never had any wind during games. I’d lose my energy really quick because I’d lose it trying to skate with that injury. Probably 75 tops, I’d say.”

Flyers general manager Ron Hextall likes that his prospect has that kind of pain tolerance and if the injury caused the New Jersey Devils not to select Patrick, Hextall won’t complain about it.