Global Series blog: Fredrik Claesson

The Ottawa Senators defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in overtime on Friday as part of the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm. The teams will also play on Saturday. Senators defenseman Fredrik Claesson, who is from Stockholm, is a guest blogger for NHL.com. In his third entry, he talks about scoring a goal for his sick grandmother:

STOCKHOLM --Last night I was really nervous. Me and Gabriel Landeskog were talking about it, how it was going to feel to play on Friday at Ericsson Globe. Both him and me were really nervous. Waking up this morning, it was nice to get on the ice, do all the routines that we do and then it was hard to nap today. I was just thinking so much. But it was really nice to just step on the ice and just try to do my thing and play simple.
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I think the first shift, actually, I started to feel like it was something that I can do and just got more comfortable after every shift. Then playing with Erik Karlsson makes it a little easier too. It's nice to have him back there.
On my goal, Karl got it back and he passed to Mike Hoffman and then Hoff just played it over to me, a nice little play there, and I saw Chris DiDomenico in front and I saw the goalie was on the other side and I got a good shot there.
It meant so much to score. I think really for my family and then my grandmother, who's been at the hospital, telling me, "I want to see a goal. I want to see a goal. No more hits, no more hits. I want to see goals." I told her, "It's going to be tough. I'm going to try my best." You never know.
But that goal was for her. She is fighting and it was really nice to see her yesterday. My first point of the season, too.

I don't score that often, but I tried to shoot it as much as I can. But that feeling, I don't think anything beats that, really. It was really fun.
The last time I scored here must have been seven years ago. Seven years ago I played here, for Djurgarden against AIK. I did that celebration and that's where it comes from. I've just got to stick with it. Of course, it was totally different than the last time. I don't really know how to explain it. It's just overwhelming.
It hasn't really sunk in yet. I think as soon as I get to see the highlights it kind of sinks in a little bit. But it's a new game tomorrow, you can't just think about that. I can think about it tonight and regroup tomorrow.
This whole thing has been great, especially for Swedish hockey, for the young kids to see how good the hockey is over there in the NHL and how hard you have to work for it. That's the main reason, but playing in my hometown - I live right here - that's unbelievable. Johnny Oduya lives here too and Karl is from Gothenburg - you heard the crowd at the beginning there, when they called his name. That was unbelievable. I think for all of us it's a really good feeling and a thing I never will forget.