Pittsburgh Penguins‘ Ollii Maatta is back on the ice just seven days after surgery
What started as a scary moment for the NHL community seems to have a happy ending for now.
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Earlier in the season, Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta went on the team’s injured reserve list — to get a potentially cancerous tumor removed from his thyroid gland.
Although the surgery was largely a precautionary measure, there wasn’t a hockey player, coach, or fan around who wasn’t sending positive vibes to the 20-year-old.
Penguins fans were undoubtedly disappointed to hear that the up-and-coming blue liner wouldn’t be skating with the team for a bit, but ultimately wished him a healthy return.
Maatta’s surgery seems to have gone well, though.
Olli Maatta returned to the ice Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, heading out for a skate after his teammates finished up with their morning practice.
The team originally anticipated that Maatta would be out for four weeks following the surgery and, while head coach Mike Johnston hasn’t confirmed that he is ahead of schedule, he did have a number of positive things to say about both Maatta’s optimism and mental maturity in handling the situation.
"“He’s an amazing individual,” Johnston said, per NBC’s Pro Hockey Talk. “You see what he’s gone through and how he handles things, mentally and physically, it doesn’t surprise me.”"
Prior to the operation, the former 2012 first-round draft pick was averaging over 20 minutes of ice time a night.
The Penguins, who have already been dominant so far this season, could be even more deadly once Olli Maatta returns.
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