Ohlund Article - Ohlund on Naslund's Jersey retirement

OK, so I'm playing a bit o' catchup. Won't post about Ohlie's Oct knee related missed attendance but I can always count on Iain M to write an Ohlund piece (Van Sun Dec 10/10). Man, I wish I could've been here to watch the ceremony. I wonder if someone youtubed it. Hmm..

Blue-liner bolts back to Vancouver for first time in rival's jersey
Mattias Ohlund is excited to witness Naslund's jersey retirement, but says he's thinking more about his health and less about homecoming

It is the long-overdue return of one of the greatest Canucks, the Swede who came to regard Vancouver as home and bled his team's many-changing colours for more than a decade.

Finally, there will be acknowledgment what this warrior did for the National Hockey League team. Hopefully, Markus Naslund won't mind sharing the spotlight for a second or two Saturday with Mattias Ohlund.

Ohlund will be an honoured guest at Naslund's retirement ceremony, but won't be wearing a tuxedo as he'll be playing against the Canucks about an hour later.

The 34-year-old defencemen is playing in Vancouver for the first time since a seven-year free-agent contract took him to the Tampa Bay Lightning 17 months ago.

"The one thing you do miss is being in a hockey market," Ohlund said before the Lightning travelled to Edmonton for tonight's game against the Oilers. "Our fans in Tampa are very good but we play a lot of games [in the Southeast Division] against teams like Atlanta and Florida, which are struggling attendance-wise.

"So that's one thing you miss -- playing games in hockey markets like Calgary and Edmonton and, of course, Vancouver. But the fans in Tampa have been great. The attendance at our games is not that different than Vancouver."

Ohlund said he is looking forward to seeing his friend Naslund honoured before tonight's game, but actually hasn't spent much time thinking about his return to Vancouver.

The Lightning have played a pile of road games since October -- Tampa is near the end of a 21-game stretch that included only five home dates -- and Ohlund is trying to find health and form following off-season knee surgery.

He missed the first eight games of the season, the third time in four years Ohlund has had a significant injury setback, and he may not get anywhere near the end of that $26.25-million contract that expires when he is 39.

"I've been struggling with injuries the last few years, so I'm just taking it a day at a time," Ohlund said. "I enjoy hockey as much as I did seven or eight years ago, but health-wise, as you get older, it becomes more of an issue."

Ohlund's average ice time of 18:13 is four minutes fewer than last season and nearly seven minutes below his career average. He has just two assists in 20 games, and hasn't scored a goal since leaving the Canucks.

His 11 seasons in Vancouver included 770 games and 325 points, the most by a Canuck defenceman. It's quite possible had he re-signed in Vancouver and surpassed 1,000 games, Ohlund's number might have been retired, too, because there isn't much debate he was the best defenceman in team history.

And yet, Ohlund said he is happy in Tampa and has no regrets about leaving.

"It was time for me to move on," he said. "I was ready for the change."

Ohlund said he was in Vancouver last May so his son, Victor, could have continuing nonlife threatening treatment at BC Children's Hospital. The family, which includes his daughter Hannah and wife Linda, is planning a Vancouver vacation next summer.

"We didn't have a ton of playoff success, but we had some great teams there," Ohlund said. "I'm very happy for Markus and excited to be a small part of that event. He's a great person, got a great family and I'm very happy for him."

Saturday's ceremony begins at 6:10 p.m. to accommodate NHL guidelines that demand pre-game retirement ceremonies be finished before regular warm-up times for the teams. CBC has moved the opening faceoff to 7:30 p.m., so a packaged version of Naslund's ceremony can be televised nationally, starting about 7 p.m.