Connor McDavid is progressing from injury more quickly than expected

Man, it's great to hear this. I will soon have a reason to follow hockey again closely.

Though no one would offer a firm date for McDavid’s return, at this rate the betting is that he could be back in the Edmonton Oilers lineup in mid-to-late January, rather than the early March return originally forecasted by the team.

“He’s ahead of schedule,” Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli confirmed from Detroit on Thursday. “He’s been in the pool, been lifting weights… There are no soft tissue injuries, which is important. When you get a break like that, oftentimes there is accompanying soft tissue injuries. That slows down the recovery.”

The Oilers are playing right now against the Pittsburgh Penguins and holding a surprising lead. I am in New Jeresy and ready to head back to Ohio and get back into the groove of following the Oilers each night.