Oskar Lindblom has been sidelined from the Flyers since his battle with Ewing’s Sarcoma began in December.
Oskar Lindblom came into this season ready to break out for the Flyers. And early on in the year, it looked like he was poised to do just that. 30 games into the season, he was tied for the team lead in goals with 11. And then December hit.
What Lindblom originally thought to just be a bruise and swelling from a recent hit he took, turned out to be the beginning stages on Ewing’s Sarcoma. In a recent interview, Lindblom described finding out the cancer.
He had been evaluated by the Flyers medical staff at the end of November, a little before the team headed out to Colorado. He would play in four more games before finding out.
Lindblom knew right away that it wasn’t good news when both Jim McCrossin and Robert Hagg were waiting for him in the lobby of the hotel. That is where his journey began. Hagg was there the whole time as Lindblom went through surgery and the various treatments.
"“That big smile disappeared for a while. I could see in his eyes. Everything was empty. He was going to Colorado to play a hockey game and life was normal and everything changed in a couple seconds. We tried to talk about it, but we didn’t know exactly what type of cancer it was, or what the next steps were going to be. I tried to stay positive. That’s the only thing you can do.”"
Now seven months after finding out the original diagnosis, Lindblom has completed his final treatment. While he isn’t completely out of the woods yet, it appears as it the toughest parts are behind him. He was even able to briefly join the Flyers on the ice as they prepared for training camp.
He was the Flyers nominee for the Masterton Trophy and is now a finalist for the award. Stephen Johns of the Dallas Stars and Bobby Ryan of the Ottawa Senators are the other two finalists.
Johns missed almost two years of hockey as he dealt with post-concussion symptoms. He finally returned to the ice in January. He played his first game in the NHL later that month. Johns dealt with mental health issues during that time as well, something he would go on to discuss at length.
Ryan entered the NHL/NHLPA Players’ Assistance program in November as he struggled with alcoholism. He would return to the lineup three months later. Ryan ended up with a hat-trick in that game. He would also speak about his experience to help anyone else struggling.
The Masterton Trophy is given to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game. All of the players mentioned above have had to go through unimaginable things during their hockey career.
And with Lindblom, the smile was on his face the entire time.