The Minnesota Wild were dealing with various injuries in their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Dallas Stars — most notably was Joel Eriksson Ek, who tried to play through a broken leg in Game 3.
Although Eriksson Ek played only one shift in the the contest, he suited up with a fractured fibula and ended up needing surgery after the Wild lost to the Stars in six games.
“Eriksson Ek revealed Monday that he suffered a fractured fibula, the smaller of the two bones in the lower leg, from a shot he blocked April 6 at Pittsburgh,” wrote Associated press on Monday. “Eriksson Ek missed the last four regular-season games and the first two games of the series against the Stars before being cleared April 21 for Game 3.”
How he was cleared after having a broken leg is anyone's guess, but one thing is clear: Eriksson Ek is a warrior. He played a 19-second shift in Game 3 and had the procedure after that.
“I was skating for I don't know how many days before,” Eriksson Ek said, per AP. “I felt good, and then just first shift, yeah, it didn't hold up. It is just so hard to sit and just watch. I think that's harder than actually being out there. Being with the guys, that's what you want to do. You want to be out there to try to do your best to help the team. You play a whole season and then right before playoffs you get hurt.”
The Stars eliminated the Wild in Game 6 with a 4-1 win at Xcel Energy Center last Friday. If the Wild had advanced, Eriksson Ek said he would have been an option at some point during the postseason.
His presence was sorely missed, especially on the power play and penalty kill units that he frequented for nearly the entire regular season.
Still, Joel Eriksson Ek figures to be healthy for the start of training camp as the Minnesota Wild try to find answers to the ongoing question of how to win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Follow Us
Subscribe