Bryan Bickell is practicing with the Carolina Hurricanes again, skating, pushing himself, facing an uncertain future but more excited, not troubled, by it.
Bickell is back on the ice. The lungs burn and the legs are sore, but he says he feels more normal now. He feels more like a hockey player, feels more alive.
Bickell, who has multiple sclerosis, speaks openly about the disease, which was diagnosed in November. At times he will use the phrase “when that day comes” but not in a dire way.
For Bickell, 30, it means that day when he puts on the Hurricanes jersey again, when he rejoins the lineup and plays in an NHL game.