Injured skier Erik Guay expected to return at Lake Louise

The Canadian men’s alpine team received a big boost on Thursday after learning injured veteran skier Erik Guay should be ready for the season’s second World Cup event in Lake Louise, Alta.

The competition is set for Nov. 24-25.

Guay, who suffered ligament damage during a September training session in Chile more than a month ago, got the good news from the Canadian team’s medal staff Thursday.

“He'll be back on snow next week [at the Colorado ski camp] and should be good to go for Lake Louise,” an Alpine Canada official told CBCSports.ca in an email.

Guay was training with some Canadian teammates, along with members of the Norwegian team, in Portillo, Chile, when he sustained the injury to his patella (knee cap).

“I kind of hit this weird compression at a funny angle, tweaked my knee and then fell,” Guay told CBCSports.ca.

Guay underwent arthroscopic surgery by renowned surgeon Dr. Bob Litchfield in late September at the Fowler Kennedy Sports Medicine Clinic in London, Ont., and was given a six-week time frame for a return to the snow. The 31-year-old from Mont-Tremblant, Que., has spent time trying to regain strength and his full range of motion.

Guay is the most decorated Canadian men's skier since Crazy Canuck legend Steve Podborski. He currently is three World Cup podiums shy of Podborski’s Canadian record of 20.

Guay is also the defending world downhill champion, a title he captured in a stunning fashion at the 2011 event in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

Last season, Guay reached the World Cup podium twice — a second-place finish in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and another bronze-medal effort in Chamonix, France.