Tucker happy to skate

Darcy Tucker yesterday took his first strides toward a return to the Maple Leafs lineup.

Tucker, nursing small cracks in his left foot, skated for approximately 15 minutes at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia before the morning skate. Tucker suffered the injury Dec. 26 in a game against the Minnesota Wild, and played in one game afterward, on Jan. 1 against the Boston Bruins. A cast had been placed on Tucker's foot on Jan. 20.

"It's nice to see a smile on his face," Leafs coach Paul Maurice said. "Grumpy son of a gun has been walking around the room chewing nails for the past month. He got everything accomplished (on the ice) except for playing (last night). I'm really happy to see him back."

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