Wild superstar forward Zach Parise is doing a lot of parenting and a lot of rehab. First, his rehab from a foot injury is going well. He was wearing a yellow, non-contact jersey during practice on Wednesday, but he feels better now than he has in a month.
“A couple times I found myself off balance, sometimes favoring the other foot,” Parise said, via the Star Tribune. “But after a while when I got comfortable using it, it felt pretty good. Quick starts, it felt much better than it did a month ago, so that’s a good sign.”
There’s still no timetable for his return.
Mikko Koivu is already walking without crutches, just nine days after undergoing surgery to repair a broken ankle. Coach Mike Yeo said his recovery has been “amazing.”
As for being a parent: Parise and his wife became the proud parents of twins – a boy and girl – last week. Wild.com chatted with Parise, who said it’s tough leaving his babies at home when he goes to work.
“I have a hard time leaving right now,” Parise said. “It’s been awesome. Really, it’s been the greatest thing ever. I couldn’t be happier.
“It’s ten times better than the way people describe it. Everyone says how it’s the greatest thing in the world. You hear them, but you don’t really hear them until you go through it and see it and have them at home. It’s incredible.”
Hockey fans and those who enjoy a great story will get a kick out of the feature FOX Sports 1 did on Parise and his father J.P., who played for Team Canada in the Olympics 38 years before Zach played for Team USA in a gold medal game against Canada in 2010.
Zach’s team lost and J.P.’s won, but there is another big difference. His father wasn’t wearing pads at the end of Canada’s gold medal victory because he was sitting on the bench in street clothes after being ejected for threatening a referee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU5mx_W0QIk
