Blue Notes

In a major upswing in his rollercoaster battle with pulmonary embolism, forward Jed Ortmeyer practiced with the Rangers for the first time this season after a vascular specialist allowed him to stop taking blood thinnners.
Just two weeks ago, doctors thought they had discovered another blood clot in his leg, which could have potentially ended his career.
He was told to avoid any physical activity and was crushed by the setback.
"Here I was, thinking there was light at then end of the tunnel....I was devastated," said Ortmeyer, winded and sitting at his locker, still wearing a yellow (non-contact) No. 47 jersey after practice and 30-plus mnutes of conditioning drills with Thomas Pock and Darius Kasparaitis.
But then after an MRI, the specialist gave him the results last night. " It was just some scarring," he said. "And I got the green light. I was so excited to be back on the ice, joking with teammates, shooting at goalies and passing to someone else than the coaches. It was awesome."
Ortmeyer, a key piece of the HMO line last season, will continue to practice without contact for a week and then gradually take some hits.
Coach Tom Renney couldn't set a timetable for Ortmeyer's eventual return, but was encouraged by the progress. "He's a good, smart two-way player who's another year older. When he's healthy he gives us another weapon...that will force us to make decisions that will impact other individuals. But it's too soon right now."
More from my conversation with Ortmeyer later....