TJSweens
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Marco Rossi was in a lot worse shape than any of us realized. His bout with covid-19 left him with myocarditis that wasn't diagnosed until the Wild team doctors gave him a physical when he arrived in St. Paul. It's pretty easy to see why people were so unimpressed with his play at the Worlds last fall.
Wild's Marco Rossi opens up about heart condition that forced him off the ice
By Michael Russo
After being off the ice for nearly four months, top Minnesota Wild prospect Marco Rossi opened up about his health struggles, including his diagnosis of myocarditis, to The Athletic's Michael Russo.
Last November, Rossi was diagnosed with COVID-19. Following his recovery, he captained Austria at the World Junior Championship in January but continued to feel fatigued. After Austria was eliminated from the tournament in just four games, Rossi traveled to Minnesota for the Wild's training camp.
During the NHL's mandatory COVID-19 quarantine protocol, doctors found some alarming numbers in his bloodwork during his pre-training camp physical. During that examination, doctors discovered Rossi had myocarditis, a broad term that essentially means an inflammation of the heart. After undergoing more tests, it was determined that he would not be cleared to play.
"The doctors told me if I played one more game in the World Junior Championship, this could have ended completely different," Rossi said. "I'm thankful to God that he supported me. … I'm just happy that I'm still alive."
Over the next three weeks, Rossi went from doctor's visit to doctor's visit while living with Wild forward Thomas Vanek — arguably Austria's most famous former hockey player. Rossi also received support from former Wild goalie Alex Stalock, who was also secretly going through his own struggles with the same ailment.
The Wild eventually sent a terrified Rossi home to Austria to be with his parents.
"Every time before I went to sleep, I was so scared that I won't wake up anymore," Rossi said, discussing his myocarditis condition publicly for the first time. "Every night, before sleep, I was really sad and always crying because I was scared of that. I told my parents, 'Could you sleep right next to my bed and be here 'til I fall asleep?' And every day I woke up in the morning, I was so glad that I woke up. It was really hard."
Despite his struggles, doctors are confident that Rossi’s on the mend. In mid-May, he will have more tests in Dornbirn, Austria, where Rossi said medical experts have examined several athletes who have returned to sports after being diagnosed with similar heart conditions. If cleared, he can begin working out again.
A couple of days ago he hit the ice for workouts for the first time.
Minnesota Wild: Marco Rossi makes return to ice after season of adversity
by Tim Johnson1 day ago
Marco Rossi was an exception to some recent Minnesota Wild news this weekend.
With the team’s season over, the attention has obviously been focused on offi-ice activities. But Rossi, one of the franchise’s top prospects, garnered attention on Saturday for what he did on it.
Rossi, selected ninth overall in last year’s NHL Entry Draft, was filmed as he took to the ice for a Saturday morning workout. in a Wild practice jersey. The video — filmed by his father, Michael, and posted on his social media account — would not be that big of a deal, normally.
But given what he has been through over the past year, it is notable. It also was his first time on the ice since he captained Austria in the World Junior Championship tournament in January.
It marked a return to normalcy for the 19-year-old Austrian center who tested positive for COVID-19 in November and then was diagnosed with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart. The latter came during a pre-training camp physical with the Wild and ended his hockey season. He eventually returned to Austria to recover.
Rossi expressed his feelings as he. posed for a photo on the ice that was posted on his Twitter account to with the simple message of, “So happy to be back on the ice!” that was accompanied with a emoji of a flexing arm..
Michael Russo of The Athletic interviewed Rossi and wrote a story in late April about the the heart condition and the fear it caused the standout prospect
“Every time before I went to sleep, I was so scared that I won’t wake up anymore,” Rossi told Russo. “Every night before sleep, I was really sad and always crying because I was scared of that. I told my parents, ‘Could you sleep right next to my bed and be here ’til I fall asleep?’ And every day I woke up in the morning. I was so glad.”
He had 68 goals and 185 points in two seasons with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League before being selected by the Wild.
In its 2020 predraft guide, eliteprospects.com wrote that Rossi:
“Has an exceptional sense of spacing both on and off the puck, capable of playing in the most sensitive portions of the offensive zone and suffering hardly any physical wear for the trouble. If there’s an opening, then Rossi is going to find it and ruthlessly exploit it. He’s responsible defensively with great off the puck positioning and support below the hashmarks.”
Rossi, received medical clearance to return to the ice in May, and he is expected to be a part of the Wild’s training camp .
“Things are looking really good,” Wild general manager Bill Guerin said in a season-ending media session earlier this week. “He seems to be incredibly healthy and very positive.
“”(The medical condition) was a big shock. A big healthy, workout-crazy kid like he is,,” Guerin said. “It’s scary. You’re nervous for the kid and for his family. But honestly, we have such a fantastic medical staff here. They went through everything 10 times with a fine-tooth comb and they just make you feel a lot better about it. OUr medical staff has been absolutely fantastic through the whole process.”
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