Huron Expositor, 2006-05-31, Page 16Page 16 May 31, 2006 • The Huron Expositor
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• ACEMENT CUSHIONS
Sports
Injury keeps Watt off the
ice in first season in Sweden
Jeff Heuchert
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Egmondville native Mike Watt was looking
forward to his first year with Leksands IF, of
the Swedish Hockey League.
Unfortunately, during only his first game, in
a preliminary tournament, Watt took a hit
and unbeknownst to him at the time, tore the
patellar tendon in his knee, effectively ending
his season.
Watt, 30, says he kept
playing for some time after-
wards, but soon realized
something was wrong.
"A doctor checked it out at
first and said it was ten-
donitis, so I kept playing,"
says Watt, over the phone
from his house in Grand
Rapids, Mich., where he
lives with his wife Nikkole
and son Liam.
"But, I was so sore I
couldn't walk up the stairs
or carry my kid," he adds.
Watt. decided to have an
ultrasound and MRI done
on his knee after he says
one game, he couldn't even
get off of the bench.
The tests revealed the
seriousness of the injury
and Watt had surgery, hoping to return after
the four to six months he was told he would
need to fully recuperate.
But, after only seven weeks, Watt says he
was cleared to play, but it was much too soon.
"Three weeks later (after being cleared) I
tore it again," he says.
This time the injury kept him off the ice for
the remainder of the season.
Next week, Watt will be having his second
operation to clear out the torn
fibers in his knee.
Watt had high hopes when
he joined Leksands IF, after
playing the two previous
seasons with Ska St.
Petersburg in the Russia
Hockey League.
Watt says his decision to
play for Sweden instead of
Russia boiled down to him
wanting to spend more time
with his family.
"It just seemed like it was
going to be a better fit in
Sweden," he says.
Watt explains that in Russia,
players had to spend nights before games at a
military base - a practice that has carried
over from the old Soviet system when they did
so to keep the players from drinking or stay-
ing up too late before games.
"It was like living in a jail cell," says Watt.
"You were sleeping in a tiny room where, lit-
erally, you were an arm's length from the
other guy."
In addition, Watt says there was very little
on television, and what was on, was only in
Russian.
"I probably watched around 800 movies in
the time I was in Russia,"
he says.
Watt points out that it
was so bad some of the play-
ers only signed with the
team if it was written into
their contracts that they
didn't have to stay at the
military base,
When the team did
travel, Watt says flights
were sometimes five to six
hours long.
"It just wasn't con-
ducive to a family life. I was
missing too much time with
my wife and son," he says.
Watt says upon signing
with Leksands IF, the orga-
nization did everything to
make him feel comfortable.
Watt and his family
rented a home in the small
town of Leksand, which he says has a popula-
tion of around 3,000.
"It's a small community, kind of like
Bayfield," says Watt.
"It's right near a lake - just a more relaxed
atmosRhere."
"They set us up with a car and a satellite,"
he says, adding, "and the shows were in
English."
On the ice, Watt says he felt much more
comfortable than when in Russia.
"Their (Leksands')
practices were all geared
towards skill development,"
he says.
"It was probably the
best time I've had in terms
of practising. They had new
drills each day," adds Watt.
He explains that the
Swedish team's coaches took
the time to work with the
players individually, which
he says did not happen
enough with the Russian
team.
Mike Watt
Ilu,lr(l
'It just wasn't
conducive to a
family life. 1 was
missing too much
time with my wife
and son,' -
Mike Watt, Egmondville
native
It was during these
practices, when seeing the level of commit-
ment to helping players develop, that Watt
says, "A light bulb went off in my head and I
knew I wanted to help other players."
See WATT, Page 17