Hockey players battle injuries all the time and when an opportunity arises to represent your country on the national stage, there’s not much that can get in the way. In comes Swedish defenceman Philip Broberg, who, as it turned out, played through two painful ones of his own while captaining Sweden at the 2021 World Junior Championships.
Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland spoke on his 2019 eighth overall pick’s health on Tuesday and revealed his prmosing blue-liner played through a torn muscle above his knee and slightly separated shoulder. According to the Edmonton Journal, Broberg wasn’t going to play after sustaining the injury following Christmas but still managed to compete in all but one of Sweden’s five games.
“I liked it that he dug in. He was the captain,” Holland said. He wanted to play… We knew he was playing hurt. I like that trait. You can’t be 100 per cent all the time. You got to dig in.”
Broberg has yet to played a game for Skelleftea of the SweHL since the injury, but Holland is hopeful he will be able to join Edmonton’s AHL affiliate over in Bakersfield after his European season is wrapped up. If everything goes according to plan, Broberg should crack Edmonton’s roster for the 2021-22 season.
Broberg finished the tournament with three assists before Sweden was knocked out by Finland in the Quarters. Not the result he wanted, but there’s no questioning this dude’s toughness.
(H/T Bob Staufer)
