Girard encounters a detour on comeback trail

The Bruins trimmed their roster to 24 players yesterday, assigning eight to their AHL affiliate in Providence. The most painful cut was defenseman Jonathan Girard, who has recovered from a July 2003 car accident that nearly cost him his life.

''It was very difficult," said coach Mike Sullivan. ''We obviously admire and have the utmost respect for what he's overcome to get to this point but it's our responsibility to try to put the best team on the ice we deem appropriate for the regular season. That's not to say that Jonathan is out of the picture, he's not. He hasn't played hockey in [more than] two years and probably to ask him to step right in where he left off would be unfair."

Sullivan said Girard, 25, has to clear waivers, but he hopes he will and hopes he can continue his comeback in the minors.

''He obviously has some decisions to make but we're hopeful he'll have an opportunity to play in more games in Providence and get more comfortable with game situations," said Sullivan. ''But it was a very difficult decision and, to his credit, he came into camp in terrific shape. He's an inspiration to all of us."

Girard took the news hard.

''We all did," said Sullivan. ''It's never easy to do. I think it's the hardest part of our job."

Arguably, the toughest call at forward was sending down Hull native Eric Healey, who had two goals and an assist in five exhibitions and was a physical presence in practices and games.

''He played extremely well in the exhibition season," said Sullivan. ''He made that decision very difficult for us. The positive side is that in order to be successful in this league, an organization needs more than just 20 or 23 players. Every team goes through an injury bug at some point during the season and we're really excited about the depth we have and we believe he's one of those guys who can compete at this level."

Others reassigned were forwards Zdenek Blatny, Duxbury's Pat Leahy, Eric Nickulas, Tyler Redenbach, and Nate Thompson, and defenseman Mark Stuart, the team's first-round pick in 2003 (21st overall).

Health issues

Although the Bruins have reduced their roster, not everyone is healthy. Left wing Brad Isbister left the ice during the first of two practice sessions because of back spasms. ''This time of training camp, we're taking precautions with guys to make sure we don't lose anybody for the regular season," said Sullivan. ''He's played a lot of games in the preseason so far." Center Travis Green (groin strain) skated before the team workout and it's possible he could join the club for practice today . . . Center Dave Scatchard (groin strain) still hasn't skated.

Saskin challenged

A group of 28 NHL players filed a grievance with the National Labor Relations Board, challenging the hiring of new union boss Ted Saskin. Among them were Bruins Glen Murray, Shawn McEachern, and Brian Leetch. ''Bob [Goodenow] resigned and then Ted was named right away, and that's really not the way it's supposed to be handled," said McEachern, who was the Atlanta Thrashers' player representative before signing with the Bruins in August. ''We just want it to be done properly and make sure all the guys in the union have a say in the democracy. I feel like when I came in, it was that way and I'd like it to be that way." Bruins player representative Hal Gill said when Goodenow resigned, many teams were in flux with few players signed, so a vote was a logistical nightmare. ''I see both sides," said Gill. ''Things weren't done the right way. It makes it kind of a pain in the neck to get everything done the right way. I think things were done with the right intent, which is the important thing. It's something that really should have been handled better and it's something we're definitely going to handle better in the future. It's a little hiccup but we'll work our way through it. Now that we have a team in reasonable numbers and we're practicing together, we're going to have a meeting and talk about it and get everything on our team straightened out. Once everyone gets all the facts, we can have a vote and do it the right way and everything will get cleared up."