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Mike Comrie won’t return until he completes rehab from hip surgery; Is his career over?

Pittsburgh Penguins v Detroit Red Wings

DETROIT,MI - OCTOBER 3: of the Detroit Red Wings skates in a pre-season game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 3,2010 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit,Michigan. The Penguins defeated the Red Wings 5-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

Claus Andersen

For a guy who’s just 30 years old, Mike Comrie has seen a lot of highs and lows in his NHL career. It’s quite possible that we’ve seen the last of him, though.

That’s the unshakable takeaway from Comrie’s press release today. The 10-year NHL veteran announced that he won’t continue his NHL career until his surgically repaired hip is “fully rehabilitated.” Comrie underwent hip surgery for the second time of his career during an injury-marred 2010-11 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Comrie announced that there is “no timetable” for his return, which doesn’t guarantee that he will retire, but that seems like a possibility. Then again, the release ends with a hint that maybe it’s not quite over by saying that the rehab process could take several more months.

Going into the 2010-11 season, many thought Comrie had a chance to shake “Mr. Hillary Duff” jokes by playing alongside talented teammates in Pittsburgh. His season never really took off, though, as he scored just one goal and five assists for six points in 21 games.

“In wanting to return to play after surgery, I pushed myself too early and that has not helped my recovery,” said Comrie. “I will return to the NHL when I am healthy and able to play at the level I have come to expect of myself.”

Looking back at Comrie’s career (so far?)

If this really is the end of Comrie’s career, it should be remembered as a solid one that could have been even better. He began his NHL career as a homegrown favorite with the Edmonton Oilers, notching 133 points in his first 192 games from 2000-01 to 02-03.

Things fell apart after that, though, as a contract holdout eventually prompted Edmonton to trade him to the Philadelphia Flyers on December 16, 2003. Comrie lasted 21 games with the Flyers before he was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes, where he played 122 games (parts of three seasons). Comrie eventually was traded twice more (both times by the Ottawa Senators) and also signed as a free agent with the New York Islanders, Penguins and even had a short reunion with the Oilers.

There’s a lot of “what ifs” that go with many careers like his, but it’s hard not to wonder how much better things might have been for Comrie if that contract squabble never happened in Edmonton.

Will he be back?

That being said, the thing that makes Comrie a little different from Paul Kariya (a player who put his career on a hiatus because of injury issues and eventually retired) is his age. There’s at least some reason to believe that Comrie simply needs more time to rehab that hip injury. He could very well decide to come back late in the 2011-12 season, making him a solid mid-season free agent pickup for a team that needs a little pop on offense.

We’ll wait and see, but there’s a distinct chance that Comrie’s career might end with a whimper.