Although he suffered a thigh tear during his time playing with Modo of the Swedish Elite League, don't expect St. Louis Blues forward Alexander Steen to miss time away from his NHL team. Speaking to Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Steen said that the injury is a minor one and he'll be back on the ice very soon.
"It's not a major thing," Steen said. "I'll just miss a few games and I'll be back. It's not a big deal."
The Canadian-born Swedish player was traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Blues during the 2008-09 season and has since played 244 games with the team. Very early in his hockey career, Steen played with Modo for 50 games during the 2004-05 season before joining the Maple Leafs in the following season.
Tuesday represents day No. 52 of the NHL labor dispute that has caused the cancellation of 327 games so far, including the outdoor Winter Classic that was set to be held at Michigan Stadium just outside Detroit. The Blues finished the 2011-12 season with a 49-22-11 record, but lost in the Western Conference semifinals to the Los Angeles Kings.