Normal is the new crazy for Connolly
After litany of injuries, UBC defenceman is healthy and prepared to maximize his productivity
Josh Connolly’s summer was crazy precisely because it wasn’t.
It was the first off-season the UBC Thunderbirds defenceman has been able to fully train as an assortment of injuries curtailed his ice time and productivity over his first three seasons.
And then there was the little matter of Lord Stanley’s chalice making an appearance in his hometown with brother Brett, who was part of its global circuit with various players from the Washington Capitals. The Stanley Cup had an epic off-season of its own with the Caps, but not so in Prince George.
“It was pretty chill. We just took it to a winery in Prince George with some friends and family,” said the former Prince George Cougar and P.G. native. “It was pretty tame — not like some of the other stories or videos you saw this summer,” he added, laughing.
The joy is back in the 23-year-old’s life these days. A nagging groin injury in his rookie season kept him from matching the production he enjoyed during his junior years, when he was top-10 in blue-line scoring with the Kamloops Blazers and Cougars. The second year was a season of near-unbearable and unexplainable back pain.
“It was crazy. I was getting shooting pains everywhere,” said Connolly. “I kept telling myself that it wasn’t that bad, and tried to get used to it, tried to fight through it. But it eventually got to the point where I was like, ‘this isn’t normal.’ I couldn’t shoot, I couldn’t skate, couldn’t sleep. I realized I needed to get to the bottom of this.”
His doctors discovered he had a spinal osteomyelitis — a bone infection — and a cyst on his spine. He had an IV placed in his bicep that fed directly to his heart, and was hooked up to a machine that pumped him full of antibiotics daily fox six weeks.
Never fully healthy, he’s scored twice in his three years at UBC and had one six-assist season, and two seven-assist campaigns.
This year, the blue-liner known as a smooth-skating, power play quarterback picked up three primary assists in the Thunderbirds’ first two games — 6-4 and 6-2 victories over the Lethbridge Pronghorns.
A team stocked with firstyear Thunderbirds finished the regular season last season with a 16-10-2 record and 34 points — the most for UBC in the past 29 years — and looks to take the next step this year with a more seasoned lineup. Next up are the 2-0 Mount Royal Cougars, who open up UBC’s home slate this Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (2 p.m.) at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbirds Sports Centre.
It was pretty chill. We just took (the Cup) to a winery in Prince George with some friends and family.” Josh Connolly