Ishockey NHLColorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic wants to play before the regular season ends on April 12 but doubts it will happen, as he struggles to recover from back surgery to repair a herniated disc and sciatic nerve damage to his leg. That’s according to The Denver Post, which quotes the Avs’ all-time leading scorer as saying, “I’m not too sure where we stand yet. I’m just trying to work as hard as I can to make it back.”

Sakic, who turns 40 in July, has played just 15 games this season and dismissed rumors yesterday that his attempts to get back on the ice for the team’s last six games stems from the fact that he’ll finally retire at the end of the season.

As for the Avs, they lost again last night (via the Miami Herald).