Robert Dowd could miss rest of Steelers season and Great Britain's World Championship games after second operation and infection

Dowd was hurt after careering into the boards in an Arena game against Glasgow Clan on December 22.

He underwent surgery but there were complications and he needed to go under the knife again...which could now spell curtains for the rest of his domestic and international season.

The 31-year-old winger revealed to The Star about how his career has been put on hold.

He recalled: "It was the first shift of the third period, the ice was pretty fresh and I was moving at a decent speed. I slammed into the boards after being tripped and I blew out my shoulder, dislocated it in two spots."

He said the hospital "popped" his shoulder back in place, but said his AC joint was damaged so they had to "screw and wire it."

"It was definitely very painful. Going for the second surgery, because the first one had got infected, they had to go back in and clean out and cut away some of the infected tissue. It is on the mend now but it has been a long road so far."

He said it was the most frustrating and painful injury he'd suffered in his career.

Would he be back for the play offs?

"When I did the first surgery -yes. The second surgery, it's obviously knocked my timescale back a little bit."

That second op was just over a fortnight ago, which puts a grave doubt his play off availability.

"But you never know. We take each day and see what we can get" said the Teessider.

"If I don't make it back for the play offs I won't be playing in the Worlds because I can't go away with GB having no games under my belt obviously.

"My priority now is getting fully better so as much as I'd love to go away with GB, if I'm not ready to go fully then I wouldn't go" he said, adding that his 100 per cent focus would

then be on recovery for next season with Steelers, for whom he is contracted for another season.

*GB face off in the 2020 World Championships in Switzerland against Germany on May 9.

*Meanwhile, Steelers' coach Aaron Fox does not know whether Anthony DeLuca and Josef Hrabal will be fit enough to return from injury for Saturday night's home game against Nottingham Panthers.

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