Mikkel Boedker back in Phoenix after spleen surgery

TORONTO – Just as the Arizona Coyotes started to file out of a practice rink in Toronto Wednesday after an on-ice session they hope is the one to spark a win into the horde of losses that have accumulated recently, winger Mikkel Boedker walked off a plane in Phoenix.

And despite all he'd been through in the previous 10 days — a hit to the gut, a ride to the hospital with a view from a stretcher and a new scar currently camouflaged in staples — Boedker wanted to be with his teammates preparing to potentially end a season-high seven-game losing skid Thursday night against the Maple Leafs.

"I wish I could be out there and playing," he said. "Obviously, it's tough to watch when you're sidelined and all you want to do is just play and be part of the game."

But a return to the ice isn't imminent for Boedker, who had his spleen removed Jan. 18 in Winnipeg after getting injured that night in a game against the Jets.

Near the 10-minute mark of the second period, Boedker was hit behind the Winnipeg net by Mark Stuart while reaching for a puck.

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"It just felt like the wind got knocked out of me," Boedker said.

He complained of rib pain and was examined during the intermission but nothing stood out. So he hopped over the boards in the third but was done after two shifts.

"I couldn't tolerate the pain anymore," he said.

A doctor at the rink suggested Boedker receive an MRI at a local hospital and was adamant he go despite no one detecting anything wrong at the arena.

"I'm thankful for that," Boedker said.

He was taken by ambulance to the hospital and felt groggy upon arrival. A doctor there pushed on Boedker's rib cage, and then, "everything just went kind of blurry."

Boedker was given an IV and an MRI, and it was discovered he was bleeding internally. He started to count back from 10 and was "out like a light" by the time he got to eight.

Boedker, 25, was surprised to find himself in a hospital bed the next morning and to realize he had his spleen removed after it had been damaged by the hit.

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"I didn't know it was my spleen," he said. "I didn't know I had a spleen, honestly."

The Coyotes' assistant athletic trainer Mike Ermatinger remained with Boedker, who had nothing but praise for the medical professionals who helped him.

"They deserve a lot of credit, and obviously they did their job to perfection," he said.

Boedker was in hospital for five days before spending the rest of his time in Winnipeg at a friend's house.

He was scheduled to fly back to Phoenix last Sunday but was taken off the flight because the airline wouldn't let him travel until it had been 10 days since his surgery.

Boedker figures the staples covering the incision, which starts under his chest and goes all the way to his belly button, will be removed Sunday or Monday.

"It's going slow, but it's going steady," said Boedker, who remained in close touch with his parents and brother in Denmark during the ordeal.

He doesn't have a timeline in his mind of when he'd like to return. Boedker, who still leads the team with 14 goals and ranks third in points with 28, is on injured reserve and is listed week-to-week with the Coyotes anticipating a recovery period of four-to-six weeks.

All Boedker is sure of is that he's not going to rush back but when he is able to rejoin the Coyotes, he'll be the same player he was before this health scare.

"I'm not going to change anything," he said. "I'm not going to change the way I play or the way I go about life. It's a minor setback but that being said, my job is to play hockey. … It's going to take a little bit of time to get back into shape and to get back into playing again and to feel comfortable with my body and all that. But when that time comes, I'm going to be ready and I'm going to do it to the best of my ability."

Sarah McLellan writes for the Arizona Republic