The Detroit Red Wings tweeted this afternoon that Chris Osgood underwent successful sports hernia surgery in Philadelphia today.
The standard recovery for a hernia procedure such as this is six to eight weeks. That being said, Kris Draper only missed six weeks after undergoing the same surgery back in mid-October. Osgood already missed 13 games due to the injury in November.
Youngster Joey MacDonald, who was called up from Grand Rapids before the news on Osgood surfaced, will back up Jimmy Howard in the same fashion Osgood has this season. That means MacDonald will play when the Wings have back-to-backs, which they have this upcoming weekend against the Blue Jackets in the form of a home-and-home.
MacDonald actually saw some ice time in yesterday's 5-4 loss to the Avalanche because Jimmy Howard allowed four goals on ten shots. MacDonald was unfairly given the loss because he gave up what turned out to be the game winning goal.