Ethan Bear ‘felt all of it’ in his return to NHL
Defenseman recovering from offseason shoulder surgery
Ethan Bear didn’t know what to expect from himself.
The Washington Capitals defenseman knew he had put in dedicated work with his strength coach while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. He knew he felt good through his first skates and practices with the Capitals after joining the team in mid-December. And he knew he was excited to play, whenever he was officially cleared to resume his NHL career.
But what Bear didn’t know, when he took the ice Saturday against the Nashville Predators for his Washington debut, was how it was going to go. While he felt he was as prepared as he could be, he hadn’t played an NHL game since April, and he hadn’t played a hockey game at all since he suffered a shoulder injury at the world championships in May.
“The emotion, the adrenaline, the nerves,” Bear said, “I felt all of it getting ready.”
Two days before he entered the lineup, Bear was reflective as he discussed his journey over the past several months. The injury in May was an aggravation of an issue that started five years ago, during his second professional season. After having it repaired and spending six months recovering, Bear said he had never felt better and believed the surgery had been a “blessing in disguise.”
“I’ve never had time like this to strengthen other areas of my body and strengthen the area that was the main cause of why I got injured five years ago,” Bear said Thursday. “It’s been really nice. I’ve had time to reflect on my career and my journey. It just kind of makes you more — kind of makes you appreciate being here, being in this environment, playing in the National Hockey League, a lot more. Just makes you more motivated, more hungry. Just kind of helped me realize how much I love to play.”
In his debut with Washington, Bear was on the ice for 20:05, playing primarily with Rasmus Sandin on the Capitals’ second defensive pair. He looked comfortable right away, and it took him only a handful of shifts to feel settled.
“After my third or fourth shift, my legs weren’t burning, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I guess I’m back,’ “Bear said. “That was it, after the first couple. The game’s quick. I just think I got my rhythm back pretty quick there and kind of started to make the plays that I like
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to make.”
It’s standard for Washington coach Spencer Carbery to say he wants to take a look at the video before sharing extended thoughts on a player’s performance, particularly when that player is making his debut. But on Saturday, Carbery couldn’t hide his happiness about what he saw from Bear.
“I liked his game a lot,” Carbery said. “I know he played — [assistant coach] Mitch Love felt good about his game to the point where he’s playing 20 minutes. I thought he made good decisions. Skated well. Has the one he rings off the bar — got his shot through. Good offensive zone blue line decisions. I liked his game a lot.”
Though the Capitals lost, 3-2, in a shootout, Bear’s joy to be back in the NHL couldn’t be tempered.
“It was a really close game,” he said. “I think it could’ve went either way. I thought we played a lot better than we have the past few games. I’m just happy. I didn’t feel really tired today. Kind of shows how much I’ve taken care of myself in coming here. … Honestly, kind of surprised myself a little bit. I didn’t know how I was going to feel. I’ve skated a lot with myself, my trainer, my skills coach back home. Lots of … hard drills all by myself just so I could feel good when I got here. It paid off.”
Bear’s crispness with the puck stood out immediately; nearly every pass he made was tape-to-tape, and he came within inches of scoring when he rang a shot off the crossbar midway through the second period. The shot was a good one — a quick one-timer from the top of the slot — but what impressed Carbery even more was the fact that Bear made the play in the first place.
The Capitals have just four goals from defensemen this season, and Carbery often has talked about the need to get the blue-liners more involved in the offensive zone. In his first game of the season, Bear got involved right away.
“He’s on his toes right there to jump up as that fourth guy into the rush,” Carbery said Monday. “I think it was [Dylan Strome’s shot that] gets blocked there, puck squirts out, and he’s right there. I liked his game overall. Going back through the film, still liked it. There’s a few things that, you know, with every defenseman, as he gets more comfortable in our system, that I think he’ll even be able to continue to progress in.”
Even narrowly missing a goal in his debut didn’t do much to dim Bear’s excitement after the game.
“I didn’t see what it hit,” he said with a grin. “I just tried to make sure I didn’t miss the puck. But you know what? It’ll come. Just wasn’t my time tonight — that’s all.”