Chicago Blackhawks forward Colin Blackwell underwent sports hernia surgery on March 22 and was expected to be out approximately 12 weeks. But his road to recovery has not been a smooth one.
In a raw, emotional interview on Monday, Blackwell opened up about the journey and what he's gone through to finally be able to get to a point where he could practice with the team.
"The summer kind of sucked," Blackwell said. "I was here all summer doing rehab and I just kind of had a couple of setbacks. And then before training camp, after a setback, I was just trying to skate. So when training camp [arrived], hopefully I could get over the hump, and unfortunately I had another setback.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"It was very frustrating. It's been a long time, and it was just from several months ago. It's just been one thing after another, but we've been able to kind of figure some things out and kind of get over the hump.
"Finally, for the first time in a long time, I feel close to being like myself that I used to be, so that's a big step for me."
Blackwell said it wasn't until last week where he could finally take his dog for a walk in the morning without any pain. That's how bad it was, to this point.
"It's been a long, long road and not many ups but a lot of downs," Blackwell said. "So just to be out there with you guys today, it just felt like normal for the first time in a while. It was a good day to wake up knowing that I was going to be skating today and go through it and get some reps in and feel pretty good about it."
Chicago Blackhawks
Blackwell got married over the summer, which added another wrinkle to the equation. It was hard for him to feel normal for just the regular day-to-day stuff.
Blackwell started to get emotional when asked how he mentally dealt with it all, and the support he got from his wife, family and teammates.
"It’s been pretty draining, to be quite honest with you," Blackwell said, before getting choked up and needing a few seconds to collect himself. "But … Basically, my family, wife … They’ve been awesome. A lot of the guys, too. Yeah, they’ve been unreal."
The Blackhawks obviously knew what Blackwell had been going through behind the scenes and tried to be a support system for him, in whatever way they could.
"He's an emotional player, even more than some guys are," Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said. "He puts everything in on the ice. Putting all that work in on the offseason and maybe not feeling great. ... When you get something surgically fixed or repaired, then you're always thinking that you're going to be perfect. But it takes a lot to come back, for a body to recover, especially a pro athlete level.
"He's just been so disappointed that it hasn't been quicker, and I'm sure that's why he's frustrated. You can feel for him in that sense, but getting back on the ice with the guys, it mentally gets you more motivated and you make that last step the quickest. Hopefully that's the case for him."
Blackwell understands he's still probably a ways away from actually being game-ready. He stayed off the ice for six months, so he needs time.
Blackwell is taking it day by day at this point, and acknowledged he's not taking anything for granted.
"To be honest with you, I haven't really thought that far ahead or anything along those lines," Blackwell said. "Like I said, I took my dog for a walk this morning and I felt good. I was without walking and not taking anti-inflammatory stuff and stuff along those lines. I feel as close to myself as I remember, what I used to be.
"I look around the room. I mean, it's been a month since I've played hockey, and everybody else here got a summer and then got a training camp and then six games so far. I'm a realist, I'm pretty behind schedule, but at the same time, I'm a gamer. So whenever I get thrown in there, or if I get that opportunity, I'll be ready."