‘My teammates asked me what I was doing here’

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At the Euro Hockey Trophy in February this year, Ludovic Waeber was injured during a match against Finland. Five days later, the ZSC Lions announced that their goaltender’s season was over with a partial adductor tear.

In the semi-final against Biel, however, the 26-year-old suddenly reappears on his team’s bench as a substitute for Simon Hrubec and is ready to jump onto the ice if the situation calls for it. What happened in the six weeks between announcing the severity of his injury and his surprise return?

It wasn’t expected that we would see you in the line-up again this season, was it?
Ludovic Waber: I was a bit lucky with my bad luck.

So the basic diagnosis that your season is over was correct?
In the beginning it was, yes. To be honest, it wasn’t until I woke up after surgery that I knew my season wasn’t over. (laughs). I had already reconciled myself with three months of rehab ahead of me.

How did you get back on the ice less than two months later?
Initial results of the magnetic resonance imaging showed a tendon tear in the adductor region, requiring a three-month break. But it wasn’t until the surgery that the doctors were able to see my injury better. Because there was a lot of blood in the muscle, the diagnosis was falsified. Finally they were able to sew the torn part back on.

How did you experience this turn of events?
It was quite complicated to deal with. Of course, as an athlete you are never happy when you hear that the season is over. I lived with this news in the six days between the MRI and surgery. And then, after I woke up, they told me I could play again in five to six weeks. That was a nice awakening (laughs).

No one expected you back.
It is true that I was able to return unnoticed. On the first day, when I was training again, my teammates asked me what I was doing here. And why I didn’t go on vacation.

Do you think that after not playing for almost three months you can immediately perform in the play-offs?
I have at least a little playoff experience. Last year I was not injured, but I was in a similar situation. When Jakub Kovar came to us, I played a lot less in the second half of the season. Still, I came into action in all semifinals. Physically I feel ready. Time will tell if I should play or not. But I have confidence in myself. I could have been on the scoresheet from game 4 of the quarterfinal series against Davos. I accompanied the team as a third goalkeeper in case of emergency.

Source : Blick