"It's over. We finally know," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said. "He's had repairs in both of those areas before, so the doctor wants to go through those same incisions - they're just small incisions - and reinforce and strengthen the area."
Holmgren said that Gagne, who tallied 34 goals last season, will "probably" be out for the next 6 to 8 weeks. Gagne has netted only one goal in nine games this season.
"I think we made the right decision to go ahead and fix everything," Gagne said. "I'll have time to get back in shape and get my game back and feeling 100 percent when I'm skating. That's something I wasn't able to do right now. That's why I think the decision was made to go ahead and do the surgery."
The rectus abdominus is the "sixpack" of the abdomen that extends below the pelvis and connects with the groin area. It is responsible for flexing the lumbar spine and keeps internal organs intact with intra-abdominal pressure during exercise and lifting weights.
Gagne is naturally bowlegged, which helps in his skating style but puts extra strain on his groin and abdomen. That may, or may not, have caused what the doctors think are the two small hernias that tore through his groin.
The reason it took so long to come up with an operating plan was that the two opinions Gagne received - the original in Philadelphia and one in Montreal with Dr. Rea Brown - were conflicting. One saw the hernias and the other did not; there was also a question as to whether to have surgery.
Meyers will explore the area after repairing the rectus abdominus and if the hernias do exist, nip them in the bud.
