Avalanche captain Joe Sakic will undergo hernia surgery Friday and will miss eight to 12 weeks, the club announced Thursday. Sakic has been out since Nov. 30, missing 12 games. The organization said a lack of progress in rehab has made surgery necessary.

The Colorado Avalanche could be without two of their most important players for the next few games and possibly more, according to a Denver Post report. Forward Ryan Smyth is waiting for the test results on a neck injury so severe that even a slight move of the head causes severe pain. Center Joe Sakic continues to suffer with an injured groin. Sakic has not played since picking up the injury in a game at San Jose on Nov. 30 and hasn't skated at all since Saturday after the groin apparently tightened. The Avalanche told The Post Sakic appeared to be on the mend, but Coach Joel Quenneville revealed Thursday he hasn't been on the ice with the team since his injury worsened. "He knew it wasn't right," Quenneville said in the Post story. "We'll know when it's right when we put him back on the ice next time. That was his test, to kind of give him a baseline to figure out where he's at. But he's not ready to get out on the ice yet."

The Avalanche placed center Tyler Arnason on injured reserve on Sunday. Arnason will be out approximately four weeks due to a wrist injury, which will require surgery according to the Denver Post. A seven-year veteran, Arnason suffered the injury in a loss to Columbus on Wednesday.

When the Avalanche resumes practice today, Joe Sakic will not be part of the mix. But the team continues to say Sakic's groin injury is improving, and he should resume skating later this week. He has missed the past six games. It is clear, though, that the longtime Avalanche captain will not play Wednesday or Thursday against Columbus or Nashville on the road.

Todd Bertuzzi's on-ice attack on Steve Moore might have been ordered by former Canucks' Coach Marc Crawford, according to a report aired on CBC's "The National" Wednesday night. Bertuzzi grabbed Moore from behind during a 2004 game, punched him on the side of his head and then landed on top of Moore, driving his head into the ice. The bloodied Colorado player was removed on a stretcher. Moore sustained a broken neck and a concussion. He filed a lawsuit against Bertuzzi, the Canucks and their parent company in Ontario in February.

The Avalanche activated forward Ian Laperriere from the injured reserve list Wednesday. He missed nine games after suffering a knee injury during a game on Nov. 11 against Minnesota. The forward has six points (2-4) and 31 penalty minutes in 17 games for the Avalanche this season. The Avalanche also sent forward Wyatt Smith down to Lake Erie of the AHL.

The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that it has recalled forward Brad Richardson from the Lake Erie Monsters, the team?s American Hockey League affiliate. Richardson was first recalled by the Avalanche on Nov. 15 and played in five games with Colorado before being reassigned to Lake Erie on Nov. 29. He collected one goal and no assists with the Avalanche. Richardson missed the first month of the season due to a wrist injury and was assigned to Lake Erie after being cleared to play on Nov. 7. The Belleville, Ontario, native recorded one point (0g/1a) in five games with the Lake Erie Monsters. In a related move, the Avalanche announced today that it has placed defenseman Kurt Sauer on the injured reserve list (neck).