Stephen Weiss (groin) won't return Wednesday night. He's not expected to play Thursday against the Ottawa Senators either. "I'm feeling good and having no setbacks," Weiss said. "It's a matter of getting your conditioning and your legs to where they need to be to play in a game this time of year." Weiss is almost ready to return after he had sports hernia surgery in late December.

With Henrik Zetterberg (back) potentially done for the season, the Red Wings need Stephen Weiss to be strong once he returns from a groin injury. "Obviously losing Z is a huge loss for us," Weiss said. "I'm not thinking about coming in trying to replace him. I've got to come and do my own thing and play my game, but certainly we're going to need guys to step up and fill that void. I definitely put some of that onus on me coming back, for sure." It remains to be seen if Weiss will be available immediately following the Olympic break. He was originally supposed to have reported to AHL Grand Rapids for a conditioning stint by now, but he's stayed in Detroit to get some extra practice instead.

Stephen Weiss (groin) has decided to practice more rather than play for AHL Grand Rapids on a conditioning stint. The original plan was for him to play in the minors this weekend and he's still aiming to play Wednesday against Montreal. "That's what we're shooting for," Weiss said. "Obviously, that's not going to be my decision. I might still have to play a game or two (in Grand Rapids) next week. By then I'll be more ready to play a game." He wants to test himself with up-tempo, contact situations, but he has made very good progress since having sports hernia surgery on Dec. 23.

Stephen Weiss (groin) expects to be fine to play next Wednesday against Montreal. He doesn't know if he'll head to the AHL this weekend to play a little for the Grand Rapids Griffins on a conditioning stint. Weiss has played in just 26 games this season and he hasn't dressed since Dec. 10. He had sports hernia surgery on Dec. 23.

Stephen Weiss (groin) is looking forward to skating with the OHL Plymouth Whalers during the break. The Whalers are Weiss' old junior team and he thinks being with them will be better than skating on his own while the NHL's shut down. "Just being in a team atmosphere again has been nice," Weiss said. "It's a great feeling, it's been a tough stretch the last while for me but to be out with the team the last few days has been nice, it kind of perks you up." The goal is for Weiss to follow it up by playing in a conditioning game or two from Feb. 21-23. If all goes well, Weiss might be healthy by the end of the break.

Stephen Weiss (groin) participated in Wednesday's practice and he didn't feel any pain. He is hoping to return to the lineup in Detroit's first game back after the Olympic break. The plan for Weiss during the Olympics is to skate with the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL and to possibly play for AHL Grand Rapids on a conditioning stint.

Stephen Weiss is making progress in his recovery from a sports hernia. He is skating on his own and has a target return date of February 26th. Of course a lot can go wrong between now and then, but Weiss is encoraged by how fast he is recovering from mid-December sirgery. "I'm really amazed at how fast this thing goes," said Weiss. "You go from feeling terrible to skating not long after that. I was walking on a treadmill about 10 days ago and now I've been on the ice five days in a row. It progresses pretty quickly." Weiss believes he will be able to start practising next week. If he does, the 26th could be a reasonable target for his return.

Stephen Weiss' tough 2013-14 season continued Wednesday when he missed out on participating in the Winter Classic. "It wasn't the easiest couple of days," said Weiss, who is out of action until after the Olympic break because of sports hernia surgery. "It's something that was on the radar since this summer, actually, so it was tough not to be able to play in it. But some things are out of your control." In 26 games this year, he has registered a mere two goals and two assists.

Stephen Weiss has undergone surgery for a sports hernia. Weiss isn't expected to return until after the Olympic break. He's had an off season with just four points in 26 contests.

Stephen Weiss (groin) will have sports hernia surgery this week, according to HNIC's Elliotte Friedman. Weiss hasn't played since Dec. 10. In his first year of his five-year, $24.5 million contract with the Red Wings, the veteran has just four points in 26 games. Friedman says that Weiss will return after the Olympics, which would mean sometime in late February. Detroit's first post-Olympic game is Feb. 26.