'It's tough losing my best friend': Patrik Laine rejoins Blue Jackets after father's death
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — For the first time since early November, Patrik Laine joined his teammates on the ice for practice Monday.
It's an understatement to say the Blue Jackets forward has been through a lot over the past six weeks. The difficult stretch started for Laine with an oblique injury against the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 3, but that setback pales in comparison to the difficulty of losing his father, Harri, on Nov. 21.
Laine joined the Jackets in Vancouver on Sunday after spending time with his family in Finland mourning the unexpected loss. The family has not released any information about the cause of death.
"It’s definitely been the hardest times of my life, for sure," Laine said. "It’s been difficult dealing with it. I’m still going through it. It’s still on my mind quite a bit, but this helps, being here. Having something to do during the day and something to look forward to."
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Laine's father Harri
The Laine family has always been close — close enough that Laine's mother, Tuija, lived with him during his early seasons in the NHL as he adjusted to life in North America. It's never easy to lose a parent, but to lose one unexpectedly at just 23 years old is a loss Laine is still coming to terms with.
Laine described his father as his best friend, and the two always shared a deep love of hockey. Even in Laine's sixth season in the NHL, Harri was still waking up at 3 a.m. in Finland to watch every game.
"He’s been my number one fan and supporter, always," Laine said. "Not that my mom and sister and everyone else hasn’t been, but I think hockey was just kind of our thing, our passion. I definitely wouldn’t be here without him.
"He always watched my games, ever since I was kid. He always wakes up at night and watches my games. It’s tough losing my best friend."
Laine was already on injured reserve, so there wasn't concern about missing games to be with his family. The Jackets told him to take all the time he needed and to rejoin the team when he was ready.
"These guys have been great, supporting me and my family," Laine said. "It’s always nice to come back here with open arms. Definitely fun being on the ice with them again."
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As for the injury itself, Laine has yet to be cleared, but he was a full participant in Monday's practice. He hasn't been on the ice very much over the past few weeks, so his return isn't imminent. But at least from a physical standpoint, the pain is easing and he's progressing toward a return.
The emotional side of things will take longer to heal.
"It’s been tough for all of us," Laine said. "I can’t really speak on behalf of anyone else than myself, but I know for a fact that (the whole family has) had a really, really tough couple weeks, like I have.
"Just got to find ways to deal with it. Think of all the good stuff and the memories and stuff like that. I think everybody just misses him."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets' Patrik Laine joins team in Vancouver
