Frederik Andersen Addresses the Media It's been over three months since Carolina Hurricanes netminder Frederik Andersen was ruled out indefinitely after a blood-clotting issue was discovered on a routine medical test in early November. What was later revealed as deep-vein thrombosis and subsequent pulmonary embolisms, has kept the Danish netminder sidelined for over half of the 2023-24 season, but things seem to be on the upswing for Andersen. The 34-year-old netminder rejoined the Canes for practices last week and he's continued to work with the full team ever since. He was once again on the ice Wednesday morning and following practice he spoke with the media for the first time since his diagnosis. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Opening Statement: I just want to start by saying I appreciate the patience through this last little bit. It's obviously been scary times, but I'm thankful for all the help I've gotten through the team and doctors around me, my family and stuff, teammates. They've all been really supportive and I appreciate the help. Can't put an exact date on a timetable, but just focusing on taking things day-by-day to see how I'm progressing. Going to lean on the great team of doctors that we have around here. On when the problems first started: Not too long before when I sat out. On getting back on the ice: I can't tell you enough about how excited I am and how good it feels to be back with my teammates and doing what I love and being a part of the locker room again. I've been out there for the practices and it's been really fun. On what the road still ahead of him looks like: I'm just taking it day-by-day right now. Obviously like I said before, we have a really good staff of doctors around and the team has been really supportive in helping me get answers to things. Just taking it day-by-day. On what the process has been like for him mentally: Scary. Right away. Obviously I haven't dealt with this before and I've been trying to just get educated as much as I can to really understand the situation I'm in and then leaning on the great team of doctors that I've seen. I've taken their advice and their recommendations in making decisions. On if he reached out to any other players around the league who have also dealt with similar issues: I know the team here has leaned on different articles and different stuff. Again, the team of doctors are the ones that are good. They're getting paid to do this and they're very, very helpful. That's something I've really appreciated to have access to. On if he felt like he could miss the entire season: It was a scary time. I'm just really happy to be in really good hands. It was a big relief to have around me. On how he's spent his time away: I just tried to get educated. The first little bit was about trying to learn what the situation is and what can be done. And again, leaning on the doctors that I've seen who are trying to help me. I kind of got a grasp on what I needed to decide on and what we could learn about it which was a big help. On something that he's learned through the whole process : That the medical world is a really big world when you don't have the knowledge that doctors have. I'm just thankful that I've had those doctors around to help me up. That's been really eye opening to a lot of things that are not just straight forward. When you think of one thing, there's usually many different factors that can play into conditions and stuff like that. Again, like I said before, just really thankful for the team of doctors that I've seen.
