CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Cleveland Monsters forward Owen Sillinger returned to the ice last Friday in the team’s home opener, eight months after tearing his ACL in February.
Surprisingly, this was Sillinger’s first injury in his hockey career. Shortly after his injury, he had surgery, which required a full reconstruction of his knee using a hamstring graft.
Sillinger, who is in his fifth year playing in Cleveland, was also named an alternate captain for the season.
Hockey runs in the family for the Regina, Sask., native. His younger brother, Cole Sillinger, plays center for the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Monsters’ parent club. His Dad, Mike, played in the NHL for 17 seasons, and younger brother Lukas plays hockey for Arizona State University.
Sillinger said he relied on his family, friends and staff with the Monsters during his lengthy rehab.
Monsters Head Coach Trent Vogelhuber faced his share of injuries when he played and said players can feel isolated from teammates during rehabilitation.
“When players are hurt, they feel separated from the team,” Vogelhuber said. “They’re not involved in obviously the battle out there with the guys, but they’re not even involved in practice. They’re not involved in road trips and the dinners and the camaraderie. So you can really feel isolated.”
After eight long months, Sillinger made his return to the ice when the Monsters faced the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
“It’s pure excitement. You wait eight months to come back and be with your friends and your teammates and everyone that supported you,” Sillinger said.
Sillinger reflected on his recovery and said he believes he grew stronger mentally, which he hopes will translate to the ice.
“I think it’s important to take the positives when there’s maybe not a lot of positives there,” Sillinger said. “I learned a lot about myself.”
Next up the Monsters host the Rochester Americans this Saturday at Rocket Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
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