Senators announce Erik Karlsson and his wife, Melinda, have lost their son

The Ottawa Senators announced on Tuesday that captain Erik Karlsson and his wife, Melinda, have lost their baby boy, who was due in April.

On Tuesday morning, Senators columnist Bruce Garrioch reported that Ottawa captain Erik Karlsson would not play in tonight’s game against the Florida Panthers, leading some to speculate as to why.

Head coach Guy Boucher had indicated that Karlsson was not sick or injured.

Tragically, a press release by the organization not long after Boucher’s announcement revealed that Karlsson and his wife, Melinda, are mourning the unexpected loss of their unborn son.

"The collective thoughts and prayers of the Ottawa Senators organization, the city of Ottawa and entire hockey community rest with Erik and Melinda Karlsson following the loss of their son.We ask that you respect the family’s wishes for privacy during the grieving process."

There are many things in this world that are bigger than hockey, and family and parenthood reside at the top of that list.

The joy that Erik and Melinda Karlsson exuded in their posts and comments regarding their pregnancy was palpable. It’s truly unfathomable what the Karlssons are going through right now, and it makes the game seem insignificant as a result.

Erik and Melinda Karlsson announced their pregnancy, their first child, in November on social media. In December, they shared the sex. The couple were married in Ottawa in Summer 2017.

Undoubtedly, the rest of the team will take the ice tonight with heavy hearts.

Those are all the details that have been released about the tragic news, and so we won’t speculate from there.

Instead, we’ll attempt to spread some light by highlighting the heartfelt messages to the Karlsson family fans and media have shared, and we send our own support during this time.