DALLAS -- Anaheim Ducks defenseman Stephane Robidas, wearing a suit and on crutches, said Wednesday night that his fractured right leg won't need surgery. He got emotional when asked about not being able to skate for the rest of the playoffs.
"It's really hard," Robidas said, wiping away tears. "I've been waiting to play in the playoffs for the last five years. Sorry. It's tough, you know?"
Robidas broke his leg Monday night in Game 3 of the Ducks' first-round playoff series with the Dallas Stars. He got tangled up with the Stars' Ryan Garbutt, who was diving for a puck when he went into Robidas just in front of the Ducks' net.
There is no timetable for when Robidas might be able to skate again. He said he is just focused on getting better.
This is the same leg Robidas fractured Nov. 29 as a member of the Stars. He missed four months before returning to the ice with the Ducks last month following a trade.
Robidas said he broke the bone in a different place than the first fracture and that after X-rays, it was determined he could heal without surgery.
Robidas left Parkland Hospital in Dallas late Tuesday afternoon after he was examined.
"I knew it wasn't as bad as the first time, because the first time there was no way I was getting back up, the pain was bad," Robidas said. "This time wasn't as bad, but I knew something was wrong."
Robidas said Garbutt called him after the game to check on him.
"I told him, 'Don't worry about it. It's part of the game and there was nothing you could do about it,'" Robidas said.
Robidas has a home in Dallas and family here, which he said helps because he can't fly and has people to help him. But it wasn't easy for them to see him go down on the ice again at American Airlines Center.
"The last two games that I played here, they saw me going out and going to the hospital," Robidas said. "It's not easy for them, too. I believe things happen for a reason and I don't know yet why, but there's nothing I can do now. It happened, and I just got to move on. That's where I'm at."
