RJ Umberger’s ‘miserable’ season went beyond the ice

VOORHEES Last year was so bad for R.J. Umberger that it goes far beyond the “miserable” on-ice season that fans saw from afar.

When the forward went home, he’d lie on the floor of his living room and tell his kids to watch television instead of playing with them because his back was in so much pain. He couldn’t do so much as help his wife carry groceries from the car into the house.

Somehow, for 67 games last season, he managed to suit up and play hockey.

On March 18, Umberger had surgery on his right hip and abdomen to fix what should have been repaired before he was traded to the Flyers the preceding June.

“Columbus didn’t diagnose it correctly or didn’t get to the bottom of the problem,” Umberger said. “They just addressed that I had a ‘hockey back,’ a slight herniation and it would get better as the summer went on. As I started training, that wasn’t the case. It got progressively worse to the point where it was hard to train or really do anything.”

By the time training camp rolled around this time last year, Umberger was so eager to get started with the Flyers, he didn’t come clean about his injuries. He was scared of having his contract being bought out in Columbus, where he had requested a trade, and was excited about the new opportunity with the Flyers so he decided to suck it up.

In retrospect, he wishes he had said something early on and had surgery before last season began.

“Absolutely. I wouldn’t have gone through such miserable hockey last year,” said Umberger, who had a career-low 15 points last season. “More than anything I was miserable off the ice, how I felt away from the rink with my family. At the end of the day, that was the factor that I knew I had to change.”

After his most recent surgery, Umberger says he feels great. When training camp opened Friday, he was on a line with Vinny Lecavalier and newcomer Sam Gagner. Both having had poor seasons last year, Lecavalier and Umberger feel they’ve got something to prove to new coach Dave Hakstol.

“Well my first impressions were good in terms of their effort level, the completeness that I thought they worked at (Friday),” Hakstol said. “I think that’s good and that’s healthy for every player, to want to come out and show your teammates that you’re ready to be a good part of the team and help the team any way that you can. And that’s not particular to any one or two guys, that’s every single guy.”

Umberger set goals for himself in the past. He was hoping to score “20-plus” last year, a mark he’s hit five times in his career. It didn’t seem far-fetched considering the Flyers’ talent level and the fact that he had 18 with the Blue Jackets the year before.

This year there are no such hard targets. He’s just happy to be healthy and will “choose to have a great attitude about whatever role I’m put in and go from there.”

“Throughout my whole career I’ve played through injuries, over and over,” Umberger said. “I’ve prided myself on being a warrior, being an ironman and playing through everything I can. This is a learning experience of something I shouldn’t have been playing through. It hindered my play. It hindered the team. More importantly, it affected my life away from the rink.”

Dave Isaac; (856) 486-2479; disaac@gannettnj.com .