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DEL.ICIO.USThrashers’ Havelid plays through pain
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
She did what mothers do. Fed him, clothed him, supported him. She drove him to games and practices, hockey in the winter, soccer in the summer. She watched as her “Nic” was drafted into the NHL, became one of the league’s top defensemen and then represented Sweden in the Olympics in Turin. When he returned to Stockholm for a victory parade, she held the gold medal.
“I was glad she had a chance to see that,” Niclas Havelid said Friday. “The Olympics was big for them. My parents couldn’t be there, but they watched it on TV, and they were at the parade. Whenever you win something for your country, that’s big in Sweden. Everybody follows it.”
Birgitta Havelid died less than two weeks ago. She had battled skin cancer for three years. Thrashers teammates and officials weren’t even aware she was ill until her condition suddenly worsened and Havelid asked coach Bob Hartley if he could return to be with her. He is a quiet player, a private person and consistent, almost robotic, on the ice. He never gave any indication something was wrong.
“He’s the kind of guy who, whenever he comes to you, it must be something major,” Hartley said. “He’s basically maintenance free. Nic does his own thing. If you don’t look for him, you won’t see him.”
The great athletes have the ability to compartmentalize. They can shut out distractions and operate as if life is normal, sometimes even amid personal tragedy. How Havelid has functioned is beyond normal.
He left the team Nov. 1 to return to his hometown of Enköping, about 40 minutes outside of Stockholm. He spent time with his parents and brother. He was in the hospital when Birgitta passed. He missed four games, rejoined the team for a Nov. 8 home game against Ottawa and led the Thrashers in ice time (26 minutes) and blocked four shots in a 5-4 win over the Senators.
Friday’s game against Dallas at Philips Arena was his fourth game back. Tonight in Montreal will be his fifth. Then he’ll return to Sweden, attend his mother’s funeral and rejoin the club in Tampa, having missed only one game.
“It was a tough week when I went back, but my mom would have wanted me to get back to the normal routine as quick as possible,” Havelid said.
“Even though it’s hard, it’s the best way to get back. I have my family back here, so I had to get back to them too.”
Saint Birgitta (or St. Bridget) of Sweden was said to be the most celebrated saint in the Northern kingdoms. She also believed herself to be a mystic, having conversations with God, the angels and the dead.
Birgitta Havelid did not seem so outerworldly to Havelid, just saint-like. “She was always around and took care of us,” he said. “Whatever we did, she was behind us. She made you feel good inside.”
The Thrashers remain a defensively inconsistent team. That was evident early Friday night, when breakdowns led to an early 3-1 deficit that resulted in a 5-3 loss to the Stars. But their most consistent player on the blue line is Havelid. He logs the most playing time on the team, averaging nearly 27 minutes (seventh in the league). He leads the team in plus-minus (the differential in a team’s even-strength goals scored for and against while a player is on the ice).
He was a plus-one Friday on a night the team lost.
“He never changes,” Hartley said. “You see him in the morning before practice, and he’s on the bike. Then he works on his stick. He stretches. Everything is a routine. It’s why he’s so consistent.”
It’s why Hartley said he was so “shocked” when Havelid approached him after a practice.
“Everybody was gone,” Hartley said. “I’m sure he must have walked around the building 10 times before coming to us. I told him to take as much time as he needed.”
He will play tonight in Montreal, then leave Sunday.
When he returns after the funeral, he will play as if nothing happened.
“I know it was the right decision to go back,” he said. “I’m glad I made it home in time to see her. But it’s time to move on.”
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