Cape Breton's Logan Shaw on the mend, itching to return to Stanley Cup race

He's laid up with a groin injury right now, but Logan Shaw of Glace Bay, N.S., has high hopes that he'll be back on the ice soon competing for the world's most famous hockey trophy.

The six-foot-three-inch, 200-pound centre for the Anaheim Ducks is one of two Nova Scotians who remain in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The other is Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby.

Shaw, 24, was injured in the Ducks's most recent series against the Edmonton Oilers.

"It's one of those things you can't push through," he said, admitting it's hard to be patient waiting for the team doctor to give him a clean bill of health.

Shaw doesn't know if he'll get the OK during his club's conference final series against the Nashville Predators, which starts tonight in Anaheim.

The other series pits the Ottawa Senators against the Penguins.

Shaw is anxious to get back on the ice for the team he joined back in November when he was traded by the Florida Panthers.

Going to Anaheim has been "a fresh start," he said, emphasizing how his new club has encouraged him to continue improving his already superior defensive skills.

Shaw played in 55 games for the Ducks this past season, scoring three goals and adding seven assists.

'Every minute of every game'

Back home in Glace Bay his family and friends are watching his progress.

"Every minute of every game," according to his father, Gerard Shaw, who admits to often being bleary-eyed from staying up late so he can catch Anaheim's games on television.

A four-hour time difference means those matches are not over until well past midnight.

Gerard, who also plays hockey, coaches and has been an official with Hockey Nova Scotia, is happy with what he sees.

"Logan was always a defensive-minded player. He's perfected that portion of his game and that's the role that they have him in: that defensive role, penalty-killing guy that they can rely on defensively to be out there and not be scored against."

'The toughest part is watching'

Watching from the sidelines as his teammates take on the Predators will be nerve-wracking, Shaw said. "The toughest part is watching. I'm a lot more nervous than when I'm playing."

Staying healthy and trying to remain injury-free while continuing "to play my own game" are the main goals, he added, noting that he accepts that hockey is a rugged sport.

"You get beat up out there," he said.

While he can't be sure when he'll be back in the lineup, it's a good bet he'll see action in the Stanley Cup final if the Ducks make it past the Predators. That could mean a possible showdown with fellow Nova Scotian Sidney Crosby.