It was just one game, but after missing more than a year and a half because of a serious ankle injury that was misdiagnosed by two NHL franchises before ultimately requiring surgery, it’s hard to blame Mark Dekanich for being excited.
The 26-year-old from North Vancouver sent out a couple of celebratory and thankful tweets after making 35 saves on Sunday to backstop the St. John’s IceCaps to a 3-2 win over the Connecticut Whale 3-2 in the American Hockey League. For Dekanich, a former AHL All Star who missed all but five games last season after signing his first one-way deal with Columbus, it was a big win.
Dekanich, who had to wait to sign a two-way deal with the Winnipeg Jets, and was then forced by the NHL lockout to sign an AHL contract with Jets’ AHL-affiliate in St. John’s, sent a couple of notes on his his twitter account after the win:
To understand how tough, you have to understand how hard the last year was, including three months off his feet, and four months off the ice that had Dekanich thinking about quitting, something he admitted to InGoal for a feature in the new issue.
Be sure to read it. Dekanich also shared some tips on the importance of game-day routines.
welcome back! congrats on the first win of the season!
Congrats Dex on the 1st of hopefully many wins with the IceCaps this year! As a ‘Caps season ticket holder I can’t wait to watch you suit up for us this year!