A new season:
Defenseman open to Coyotes’ new era
The Coyotes’ home opener is tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The desert is unruly in this part of the Valley.
Arms of cacti jut out in every direction. Dirt roads peel off from the main street. Shrubs of different sizes squat together in the sand to melt into a blob of green.
Eventually, though, the landscape changes.
It’s perfectly manicured with rocks organized into neat sections, trees arching gracefully as if they’re posing for a postcard and pavement clear of gravel. And at the top of a winding driveway on a hill in Scottsdale is Coyotes defenseman Oliver
Ekman-Larsson’s house, a 6,000-squarefoot, five-bedroom, six-bathroom oasis – with a hockey-themed pinball machine.
Inside, Ekman-Larsson is jabbing at his cellphone to find the right button that will roll up the shades on a Friday afternoon. When he does, sunlight pours in and blankets the hardwood floor, black couch and ping-pong table in his front room.
“I love it,” Ekman-Larsson said. “It’s a little bit further away, but it’s worth the drive. It’s so nice and quiet out here.”
When he’s not at work in Glendale, this is where Ekman-Larsson spends the most of his time – reclining on the sofa watching Shooter on Netflix. He’s lived here for four years, but his house has been more than a place to relax in between games.
It’s helped him heal.
So has playing for the Coyotes. Arizona’s home opener Saturday against the Vegas Golden Knights will be Ekman-Larsson’s first regular-season appearance at Gila River Arena since he left the team late last season following the death of his mother, whose battle with cancer weighed on Ekman-Larsson as he skated through an adversity-laden campaign.
And despite how difficult the past has been, Ekman-Larsson’s optimism for the future hasn’t waned and he’s ready to embrace a new era for the Coyotes that has positioned him as the face of their revival.
“I’m super excited about the challenge,” he said.
Trying to cope
When he left his native Sweden before last season, Ekman-Larsson was hopeful his mother Annica’s condition would improve.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer a decade ago, getting better before regressing again only to rebound and then restart the cycle.
Annica underwent surgery and chemotherapy. Eventually, the disease spread to her lungs and then it invaded her whole body.
About a year ago, though, she was still up and walking and she wanted EkmanLarsson to return to Arizona and play. Annica loved hockey, staying up late to watch all of Ekman-Larsson’s games. She sent him a message after each one.
“Even if she was sick for 10 years, she didn’t have one bad day,” Ekman-Larsson said before pausing and then continuing, “So, yeah, that was pretty special about her.”
He stayed in touch with his family every day, but he talked to his parents and brother Kevin constantly anyway. They’d FaceTime, text or call, based on the time with Sweden being nine hours ahead.
“You knew what was going on,” he said. “But at the same time, you were trying to prepare for it. But it’s nothing you can prepare for.”
Being at home alone was a comfort at times, but Ekman-Larsson picked his spots because sometimes it was too harsh of a reminder he was helpless and away from family. He tried to stay busy, watching movies, playing golf or tennis and meeting up with friends.
“It’s a weird feeling, you know,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to explain if you haven’t gone through it. You can’t just put a finger on it, so I don’t know really. … It’s just like empty, somehow.”
The drive to Gila River Arena was the hardest. Ekman-Larsson focused on his mother for 40 minutes – asking himself if he should call home and wondering if she had a bad day.
But when he arrived at the rink, he redirected his thoughts to hockey even though he couldn’t completely engage. And that helped.
He put on a brave face, and he knew it was a mask, but Ekman-Larsson wanted to because of his teammates. They made him feel better, treating him as if everything was normal.
And many had no reason to believe otherwise. Word of what Ekman-Larsson was silently coping with didn’t spread to the entire team until the bye week in January.
Shortly before then, Ekman-Larsson’s dad Patric called him.
“It’s getting worse,” Patric said. “You should probably come home.”
During that break in the schedule, Ekman-Larsson returned to Sweden and visited with Annica. She was resting constantly, but the two talked as much as they could and one day the family had dinner together.
Ekman-Larsson asked her if she wanted him to stay. Annica wanted him to go back; in her mind, she was going to beat cancer – like she had previously done.
By doing what she wanted, EkmanLarsson could help her feel better about the situation. And even though he knew there was a chance she wouldn’t make it, he didn’t feel like he was saying goodbye.
He prayed she would be there when he returned after the season, and he told her he loved her.
And then he left.
“One of the hardest things I ever done,” Ekman-Larsson said. “I don’t think it’s going to get much harder than that.”
Shocking news
On an off-night in March, EkmanLarsson was at The W Scottsdale Hotel to walk in a fashion show.
He invited teammate Anthony Duclair to go with him and after the two grabbed dinner, they arrived at the venue for the show.
A few minutes before Ekman-Larsson was scheduled to walk, his phone rang. It was Patric.
“My mom passed away,” EkmanLarsson said to Duclair.
She was 51.
Duclair hugged Ekman-Larsson and told him he didn’t have to model. But he did anyway.
Ekman-Larsson didn’t cry. He wanted to but couldn’t. It was like his body had been turned off.
He was in shock.
When Ekman-Larsson woke up the next morning, that’s when reality sunk in.
And then he bawled.
Dawning of a new day
Ekman-Larsson walks outside his glass front door and onto the balcony that festoons the front of his house.
It’s still sunny but not as bright as before. Dusk is crawling closer and so is nighttime, and then it’ll almost be a new day.
He’s excited for this fresh start with the Coyotes, even if it is a little nervewracking. Although he may have already been in the driver seat as the team’s most important catalyst, he’s no longer leasing. He’s now the owner.
So there’s really only one way to move forward. Ekman-Larsson is going to play. It’s what his mom wanted.