George Richards, FHN Publisher
Anton Stralman has played in 105 playoff games but he has never participated in a postseason like this one.
No one has.
And, not too long ago, the veteran Florida Panthers defenseman debated whether he would be returning for it.
In May, speaking from his home in Sweden, Stralman told the Athletic he had reservations on whether it would be safe to continue the 2019-20 season in some shape or form.
“I think you should be concerned,” Stralman said. “There are so many ways to look at this thing. I know everybody wants hockey back, but safety has to come first. And it’s a little bit worrisome, I can’t deny that.
“Even though most players are young and healthy, I’m sure there are players like me that have underlying health issues. I don’t know how my body will react if I get this virus.”
Stralman ended up coming back to Florida while leaving his family behind, saying the decision to return was not “very difficult in the end” as he felt safety was paramount.
On Wednesday at noon, Stralman is expected to be in the lineup when the Panthers face his former teammates with the Tampa Bay Lightning in an exhibition game.
Stralman will definitely be a valuable defensive presence for the Panthers when they open their best-of-five Stanley Cup playoffs qualifier against the New York Islanders on Saturday.
“Once you saw the protocols and what was in place going into the hub cities,” Stralman said Saturday, “and the way it’s set up, I think we’re very well protected as players.
“My concern was probably more so for everybody else. I think most players are in the best shape possible and not a whole bunch of underlying issues, but it’s not just the players. I’m sure people are in older age groups and also with maybe underlying issues who needed to be considered.
“I hope that was on everybody’s mind and not just the safety of players. That’s why I raised all those questions, really.”
Stralman’s past health led to concerns he may not return when hockey started up again.
Growing up with asthma, Stralman was prone to getting pulmonary infections so frequent and severe, it almost derailed his career.
While with the Rangers, Stralman was diagnosed with bronchiectasis, a condition he was then able to get under control.
In Florida, a COVID-19 hotspot, Stralman said he was being as safe as he could be all while living in a COVID-19 hotspot.
He said he drove to-and-from the Panthers’ facility in Coral Springs where safety protocols were heavily in place.
The only traveling Stralman said he did aside from going to the rink was an occasional run to Publix.
“As crazy as Florida is right now, it’s not like I’m out there,’’ he said.
“I’m at the rink and then I go home. Once a week I go to the grocery store and that’s pretty much it.
“I feel like I’m in a spot where it’s fairly safe, and there’s no school and my family’s not even here, so that also made it a little bit easier from that perspective.
“I feel confident with the decision of being here playing and I’m looking forward to it.”
Last July, Stralman was one of a handful of veteran players the Panthers signed as free agents to try and help the team make it to the playoffs.
Brian Boyle, who went to the Stanley Cup Finals along with Stralman as teammates with both the Rangers and Lightning, was added in October.
Stralman said earlier this summer that while this postseason will be much different that anyone has seen, once the games start, it will be pretty normal.
“I remember my first playoffs and how intimidating that was but you get into the groove of things pretty quickly,’’ Stralman said.
“As a player, sometimes you make a big deal out of it in your head and make it bigger than it really is.
“You realize it’s just another hockey game, the same game we have been playing our whole lives. You learn to deal with the mental aspect of the playoffs as you go through them.
“You lose a game and you think you’ve lost the series. But we came back from being down 3-1 against Pittsburgh. You have to take each game at a time and it is nothing more than that, really.
“If we get a chance to come back and play, yeah, I would like to think me and the other guys who have been through the playoffs a lot can help calm the group down a bit when things get stirred up.’’