The wait was worth it for defenseman Joel Edmundson, who finally played his first game in a Washington Capitals uniform on Saturday.
The 30-year-old veteran was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens on July 1 and spent more than 21 minutes on the ice helping his new team to a 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The one who was outnumbered for a total of 2 minutes and 18 seconds has been plagued by numerous injuries in recent years, particularly to his back. Then hand surgery he suffered in September forced him to wait to start the season.
However, Edmundson says he is ready to look forward and is excited to return to competition, especially since he has the chance to play for Alexander Ovechkin’s club. In addition, head coach Spencer Carbery’s team is having good times with four wins in a row. The goal now is to help his team climb the rankings. Washington sits in third place in the National Hockey League’s Metropolitan Division.
“No, not at all,” he said in response to a question from the MSN channel, which asked him if he said he was surprised by the length of use. It was about getting fit enough to play and I’m happy. It is a training that works very well and is very exciting to watch. I’m happy to be part of it. The guys in the locker room were very understanding and it’s nice to be back.”
Not extravagant
At the moment number 6 is running alongside Nick Jensen in the second defensive pair. Regardless of who his partner is, he wants to continue using the recipe that has allowed him to star in the Bettman scene for a long time.
“I just want to be a stable full-back. I’m not extravagant at all. I just want to make life difficult for the opposing attackers by trying to frustrate them, play a tough style and help our goalkeeper. Maybe there will be a few attack sequences here and there, but that’s not part of my repertoire. I want to make a difference here,” he told The Hockey News magazine a few weeks ago.
The “Caps” host the Buffalo Sabers on Wednesday.