Robitaille, 61, was injured Feb. 3 when the car he was driving was rear-ended.

The surgery decompressed Robitaille’s spinal cord and stabilized his spine, and he is recovering in the intensive- care unit of Millard Fillmore Hospital, Buffalo, hospital officials said. Robitaille suffered

neurological deficits involving his arms and legs but is able to walk and move about, Dr. Kevin J. Gibbons, who performed the surgery, said in a written statement.

Testing revealed Robitaille had a compressed spinal cord in his lower neck and a cervical spine deformity, which required surgery. Significant compression of the spinal cord can block nerve impulses, causing serious

symptoms, including loss of sensation and function.

In an interview, Gibbons said doctors in such cases first look to make sure there is no fracture, using such diagnostic imaging techniques as MRI and CT scans and X-rays to check for broken bones in the spine or dislocations of the back bones, known as vertebrae. Fractures can cause bone fragments to pinch and damage the spinal nerves or spinal cord.

The imaging techniques also help physicians visualize the condition of the spinal canal and look for spinal cord compression.

“The degree of deficit and the stability of the situation determine the urgency of performing surgery,” said Gibbons, of University at Buffalo Neurosurgery.

This is not the first back injury for Robitaille, who played defense for the Buffalo Sabres from 1971 to 1974, when he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks.

In Vancouver, he began to experience back pain and eventually was diagnosed with a bruised spine at the base of his skull, a condition that left him with an assortment of serious symptoms, according to the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Legends of Hockey. Since then, Robitaille recovered enough motor skills to resume a more normal life.

It’s unclear if the past injury had any influence on the current problem.

The car Robitaille was driving was rear-ended as a result of a “minor chain reaction” accident, according to the Sabres.

The team Wednesday said in a written statement that Robitaille would not return to the television broadcasts until sometime after the two-week break in NHL games during the Olympics in Vancouver this month. Rob Ray has moved into Robitaille’s role during intermissions and after games.

Sabres officials, in the statement released after the surgery, also said, “Robitaille and his family appreciate the concern and support of the Western New York community.”