There was a surprising sight during Minnesota Wild practice in Chicago on Wednesday -- goalie Josh Harding partook for the first time since Jan. 19.
Here’s more, from the Star-Tribune:
If you remember, he missed the Wild’s four-game road trip to Pittsburgh, New York, Philly and Winnipeg to have an adjustment to his MS treatment. He returned to play two games Dec. 29 and Dec. 31 before being sidelined again. He then returned to practice with the team but then was sidelined for good starting Jan. 20.
Harding would only say he had a “rough patch” that was out of his control.
“This isn’t the time [to talk about it],” Harding said. “We’re in a playoff crunch. If I could’ve been out there, I would’ve been out there. It’s tough, it was tough.”
The Wild aren’t saying much about Harding’s status or condition, and there’s no telling if this return to practice is anything more than just a return to practice.
Harding was one of three goalies participating today -- Ilya Bryzgalov and John Curry were the others -- while one-time No. 1 Darcy Kuemper sat out with an upper-body ailment. A comeback seems unlikely given that Harding hasn’t seen game action in over three months, but Wild head coach Mike Yeo wasn’t ruling anything out, opting to focus on the positives.
“I know that he doesn’t want us really talking about [his MS], but the reality is it’s always going to be day-to-day, basically,” Yeo explained. “But he’s feeling very good right now and he’s motivated.”
