Barriball says repaired knee better than ever

Jay Barriball, the Gophers captain, missed most of last season after knee surgery. He got an extra season because of medical hardship, but the rehabilitation was not easy.

"It [the rehabilitation] was tough," said Barriball, expected to be the right wing on the Gophers' first line this season." It was probably one of the toughest things I have ever had to do. You get out of surgery, you can't walk, you can't do anything. You are just trying to get the strength back and the range of motion back with your knee. It's a really tough process.

"But we had some great trainers who were working with me. We put in a lot of work [and] eventually it got back to normal. And right now it feels better than ever."

He was injured in a freak collision with former Gophers defenseman Sam Lofquist in practice on Nov. 3, 2009. Three days later Barriball had knee surgery for a torn ACL.

Barriball played in only five games in the 2009-10 season. Before his knee injury, he missed one with a hip-pointer. He had two goals and two assists in those games to reach the 100-point career milestone. He has 39 goals and 63 assists for 102 points in 125 games in his career.

Barriball, 23, graduated last spring. His degrees are in business and marketing education and communications. He will be a graduate student this school year in sports management.

Being the team captain this season means a little more responsibility, Barriball said, "but I have these guys to help me out."

"And I have coach to help me out," Barriball said. "It's really a team thing. We all got to come together. We all got to find what we need to do to start winning games. It's going to be my job to motivate and stuff like that. Ultimately, it's a team game, it's a team thing. And I think we are all going to rely on each other to be successful."

He said he wanted to be a Gopher because ... "As a kid growing up in Minnesota, a hockey player, that is kind of the goal of everybody. All my buddies, all their buddies, [they wanted] to go to the University of Minnesota and play for the Gophers. They are one of the best programs in the country, if not the best program.

"It was just a dream come true when I was talking to Don and the coaches about coming here," Barriball said. "It was just kind of a no-brainer for me."

Barriball said his best moment so far as a Gopher was the team's victory over North Dakota in the Final Five when he was a freshman. "I am sure all of you guys remember when Blake Wheeler scored that diving goal," Barriball said. "That was a special moment. I will remember that forever."

He said the Fighting Sioux remain the team he likes beating most. "We are going to try to do it again this year," Barriball said.