I was ill recently and I must admit it really got me down. It wasn´t a typical flu, I just had a terrible cough. Plus I couldn´t breathe well. I even had to skip the game against Buffallo, it was just impossible for me to play.

After that I appeared against Pittsburgh and I managed to score two goals, but I wasn´t feeling well at all. I played on the fourth line and didn´t spend much time in the game but I was happy about that. I wouldn´t have taken more. The illness made me weak, I guess everyone knows what it feels like. The body puts a lot of energy into fighting the germs and it has no power left for sport. So when one must work hard physically, even for a short time, it is extremely exhausting. Right after the match I thought I would drop dead on the spot… I´d really had enough.

I had already played three games in such a poor shape before the one against Pittsburgh, and it got worse and worse. These days I still cough now and then, but it´s thousand times better than it used to be.

The illness also collided with the celebration of my fourtieth birthday last week. For me it wasn´t such a big deal, though, I don´t think much of celebrations. Still, I want to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday – I noticed all the messages on the net and stuff. So thanks a lot!

Philadelphia has acquired a new defender, Pavel Kubina, and I am really happy about that. He is big, strong, he can play tough. And most importantly, he´s right-handed, which is great for us. I believe he will be a huge help, especially in the play-off. However, we still have to fight to get there at all. The standings are tight, we have to do our best. Nothing can be taken for granted yet.

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