Ekholm Missing Hockey but Enjoying Family Time in Sweden During Pause

Once it became clear in late March the pause to the 2019-20 NHL season wouldn't be a quick one, players were given permission to depart the cities they play in and head back home if they preferred.

Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm took that option, and he and his fiancée, Ida, as well as their 2-year-old son, William, got the last Scandinavian Airlines flight from the United States to Sweden, their home country.

They've hunkered down there ever since, Ekholm utilizing a bike and weights in a home gym to stay fit, as well as the occasional roller blade excursion around town. Just like every other professional hockey player, Ekholm would prefer to be on the ice with regularity, but being quarantined has had its perks too.

"Actually, before I just [got on this video chat], we put [William's] first bed together," Ekholm said from a seven-hour time difference from Nashville. "He's growing out of the crib, and to be able to share those kinds of moments now has been has been awesome. Obviously, I really want to get back to work and to play again, but there are some upsides of this too, I guess."

As the pause transitions into the month of May, the NHL continues to discuss potential resumption of play scenarios, with the goal of getting back on the ice at some point in the coming months. That would, of course, require Ekholm to return from Sweden to Nashville, but the blueliner says there remain too many hypotheticals to work through at the moment to set a time for a trip back.

Instead, he's focused on what he can control from his side of the pond - like being ready for whatever may come as the League looks to drop the puck once more.

"I wish I had some more experience in situations like this…but we'll just have to see," Ekholm said. "If we come around playing again, I'm sure everyone's going to be dialed in. I'm sure everyone's going to be really competitive, so I don't think that's going to be the issue. It's more of our bodies being able to execute what our minds are thinking, and what you're used to. It's coming up on two months now with without any skating, so it's a long time and I really don't know how that's going to be able to affect coming back into [normal playing] shape."

If the Predators - and the rest of the NHL - are indeed able to get back to playing at some point, there is hope among those in the Nashville organization that the group would be able to pick up with the momentum they were building right before the pause began on March 12.

"I would like us to [be able to] just continue where we were when the season stopped," Ekholm said. "We weren't really happy [with how we were playing] up until Christmas, but then when [Head Coach] John [Hynes] got in and we really started to take what he was preaching for us, we were really on an upswing and were really playing well. We had guys going all over the lineup, and [it was] the time of the year you really want to be hitting that peak

"Everyone should have confidence in how we played before this break came up. It's been [almost] two months, so it's a lot of time, but I'd much rather have a positive streak going on this break than the negative one, so I'm optimistic if we were able to get back and play."

We all miss hockey, and Ekholm is no different, but everyone seems to have certain aspects they long for more than others. For the passionate alternate captain, that competitive fire is something that's been missing over the past few weeks.

"You're used to playing against the world's best hockey players every night…and that's a feeling that I [miss]," Ekholm said. "Just to be out there and competing, I just miss all of that… You're sharing with your teammates and trying to win every game, and then trying to be as good as you can be for the team. And really, just the competitive nature. I mean, I'm a competitive guy, I like to do that on the ice, and now that's kind of the part of me that's been taken away. I think that's been the hardest thing: not being able to be out there and work hard and compete. That's something I truly miss."

There's no doubt Ida and William miss being on the other side of the glass watching No. 14 do his thing. Until that day returns again, the trio will remain in their homeland enjoying family time that doesn't often come around.

"It's hard to keep a 2-year-old inside all day, so we're trying to come up with fun stuff to do out in the yard and get some new toys in here," Ekholm said. "Ida's doing good, she's working on her book projects and getting some more time with that, so we can't complain at all. We've gotten to spend some time together, and that's been a lot of fun."