Grieving Stajan rejoins Flames after death of his newborn son
CA LGA RY — Cap yanked low, face down, voice barely a whisper, Matt Stajan acknowledged that staying home had been an option.
In fact, the Calgary Flames offered that scenario.
“They said straight out to me, if I take the rest of the year off, that’s fine — ‘Just do whatever you need to do,’” Stajan said Monday morning in the Flames’ dressing room. “Sitting down with my wife (Katie) the last couple weeks — and, obviously, going through what we’ve been through — we talked. It’s about moving forward and taking steps. We’re always going to remember and it never gets easy. But you’ve got to move on and ... this is another step forward.
“I want to play. Nothing’s going to change anything. I want to get right back into game action. That’s what hockey players do. That’s the plan. I’m excited to get right back at it.”
Stajan, after missing eight games, is back.
“Give him credit,” said Joe Colborne. “He comes in, smile on his face, ready to play. He’s the ultimate professional. It’s going to take a long, long time for him to get over it, I’m sure. I can’t even imagine what he’s feeling.”
No. 18 skated during the weekend. Then he practised Monday with his teammates. Now, he’ll suit up Tuesday for the first time since his son Emerson died following childbirth, a heartbreaker that occurred two weeks ago.
“This is like my second family coming here,” said Stajan. “Going out on the ice ... it’s a nice place for any player, to get skating and clear the mind. It’s been refreshing, the last couple days of skating on my own. To get back with the guys, it’s another step. So it’s exciting.”
Stajan, too, made a point of addressing the support he and Katie have received.
“Not just from the Flames organization, but from the whole hockey world,” he said. “All the fans. The city of Calgary has been unbelievable. Other teams in the league have reached out. And players. It doesn’t make things easier, but it does help with the grieving. When you get shown support like that, you feel really special. This hockey world is a special world.
“This is not over and done with. This is something we’ll always remember. There’ll always be moments, but my wife is a strong woman and we’ve done a great job to this point. We’re going to keep moving forward.”
Stajan’s return, flanked by wingers Curtis Glencross and Brian McGrattan, comes against the visiting Buffalo Sabres.
“Awesome,” said McGrattan. “It was great to see him come in. Everyone’s in a good mood. He’s a big part of this team, one of the leaders, one of our captains. To see a good buddy back in the room, we’re excited. Obviously he’s had a couple tough weeks. To get him back working with the team ... will give him that peace of mind, to come to the rink and worry about hockey and get his mind off everything else. I think it’ll be really healthy for him.”
Healthy for him, no doubt, and also healthy for his chums.
“You can’t say enough about the effect he has in this room,” said Colborne. “He’s the guy that brings everyone together. Always has a smile on his face when we’re going through a tough time. He’s a guy that will pull a rookie aside and say, ‘It doesn’t matter if you haven’t scored in the last few games. Keep working and it’ll work.’”
For Stajan, the dressing room provides a definite level of comfort.
“Especially coming back and knowing the boys love him,” said McGrattan. “To get one of our family members back — a guy everybody loves, everybody wants to work with — is a really big positive.”