ST. PAUL, Minn. — Dean Evason had never heard the Xcel Energy crowd as loud, as electric, as it was Friday night.
And the roars might have hit a crescendo during the starting lineup, when Joel Eriksson Ek’s name was announced. That’s how important the Swedish two-way center is to the Wild, and how much his return from a right leg injury was anticipated.
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So when Eriksson Ek’s night ended 19 seconds into his opening shift, grimacing and skating slowly to the bench, there was an ominous feeling among his teammates and coaches.
This didn’t look good.
“It was brutal,” winger Marcus Foligno said. “The guy is unbelievable. It sucks. He was obviously in a lot of pain, and knowing he can’t go, it’s something serious.”
Evason said Ek will be evaluated “extensively” in the days ahead, and they won’t know more until then. But for a player who worked his way back a couple weeks removed from what looked like a serious leg injury, it looked like a sizable setback. Perhaps he came back too soon.
“It’s sad, right?” Evason said. “Disappointing obviously. We all know who he is, outside and more importantly inside and his will to get back out there with his teammates was tremendous. It’s a tough one, for sure.”
What’s wild is Ek got re-injured on what appeared to be an innocuous play. There was no contact. He curled out of the faceoff circle, something he’s done countless times in his career. He pushed off the curl and then limped, grimacing. His night was over before it began. With Ek out, Matt Boldy had to move back to center and the team played with 11 forwards the rest of the night.
“He’s been fighting so hard to come back so soon,” goalie Filip Gustavsson said. “That something happened to him that early is sad.”
When Ek took an Evgeni Malkin slap shot off the lower leg on April 6, crumpling to the ice, some wondered if he’d be back in time to even play a playoff game. The team initially labeled him week to week, so it was surprising when he was back on the ice nine days later. Ek skated five of the last seven days, working hard at his stops and starts, turns (and contact).
“He’s got Wolverine blood.”
Marcus Foligno on Joel Eriksson Ek, who looks good for a guy who suffered what appeared to be a serious leg injury 11 days ago. #mnwild. pic.twitter.com/oDs4fF4dB3— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) April 17, 2023
He was also doing exhaustive research to find a quicker cure.
“He’s a warrior,” center Ryan Hartman said. “The last I don’t know how many days he’s been Googling stuff on how to recover quicker. It’s sauna work or breath work, doing anything to get back sooner. That’s why he is who he is, why he’s such a big part of our team.”
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“He probably takes 15-minute cold tubs and just meditates,” Foligno said. “He’s an animal — just recovers fast.”
This past week, as Ek’s return seemed closer, teammates marveled at his toughness. Once he was cleared to play, it was all about pain tolerance.
“There’s definitely some guys that can do it and some guys that don’t,” Foligno said. “Ekker’s got Wolverine blood. He’s a little bit special. That’s the thing that, for him, I think it’s just pain. If he can tolerate it, then he’ll play.”
The Wild, up 2-1 in the best-of-seven first-round series with Dallas, is now staring at the possibility of another extended absence for Ek. The team doesn’t have a lot of center depth as it is, and Ek is the one who takes on the toughest assignments and most meaningful minutes. He’s a key cog on the penalty kill, the net front presence on the power play. He’s one of the very few players on the Wild that are irreplaceable.
If there’s any solace for Minnesota, it’s how unique Ek is in terms of his ability to recover and rehab, and play through pain. As winger Brandon Duhaime put it earlier this week:
“He’ll tell you he’s a machine. So if anyone can come back from whatever he’s got going on, it’d be him.”
(Photo: David Berding / Getty Images)
