BROSSARD, QUE. -- Defenceman Jeff Petry was back practicing with the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday morning at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard, Que.
Petry, who is having a tough season so far with only two assists and a minus 7 rating in 27 games, joined his teammates for the first time in 2022.
He has not played in a game since Dec. 16 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The American was singled out for his comments after a 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in mid-December when he said: "It seems like we're always looking for where everyone else is. It's as if we don't have any structure on the ice."
The comments were interpreted as a criticism of head coach Dominique Ducharme's strategies.
The slate has since been wiped clean, and if all goes well, Ducharme indicated on Monday that Petry could be in uniform for the Habs' re-launch.
Petry had been under COVID-19 league protocol since Dec. 27.
The Habs will be back in action on Wednesday night against the Boston Bruins. It will be the first game of a doubleheader that will take them to Chicago to face the Blackhawks on Thursday night.
Forwards Tyler Toffoli and Josh Anderson also practiced with their teammates but wore no-contact jerseys. Toffoli had surgery on his hand in mid-December, and in his case it was the first time since the injury that he skated with his teammates.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 11, 2022.
