BROSSARD, Que. — We asked Martin Reway what it means to him to be resuming his hockey career after an illness put his life in jeopardy and sidelined him for the entirety of the 2016-17 season.
“Everything,” he responded. “It means everything.”
There was no guarantee this day would come.
It was in preparation for last year’s rookie camp that Reway woke up feeling sick, visited with doctors, and was promptly told he had inflammation of the heart. He then spent the next two months in a hospital bed, wondering whether or not he’d ever be able to return to the sport he had dedicated his life to.
So you can only imagine how it must have felt for him to be stepping on the ice exactly one year later as one of 23 hopefuls at Montreal Canadiens rookie camp, which kicked off on Thursday.
“It was nice to be back—even in the dressing room with the boys,” Reway said. “[I appreciate] simple things I didn’t think about when I was able to be part of a team. Now I’m more excited to have the opportunity to be on the ice and make jokes in the locker-room. It’s a simple thing that makes me happy now.”
Call it a dose of perspective for a 22-year-old who had everything going for him before real life got in the way.
The five-foot-eight Slovakian, who was a fourth-round pick of the Canadiens in 2013, had shown much promise as a junior. He put up 112 points in 90 games playing for the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques and he brought fans out of their seats with his impeccable hand skills and his playmaking ability at the world junior championship.
Reway’s first professional experience was a hit, too. He put up 37 points in 34 games in the Czech league, and he followed it up with 15 points in 14 games to begin the 2015-16 campaign before moving to the Swiss league and putting up 21 points in 19 games with the Fribourg Hockey Club.
The Canadiens were impressed, locking him into a three-year contract and giving him hope that he could arrive at training camp last fall and potentially win a spot on the team.
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Reway put all the necessary work into his off-season, made all the preparations for a move to Montreal, and just as he was set to depart he noticed something was off.
“A week before camp I started feeling high fever,” he said.
His diagnosis, which came in short order, was grim.
“Some people fight through this, some don’t,” Reway said.
It took time—Reway said he went four months without being able to do any sort of physical activity—but his body responded to prescribed rest.
The mental strain of dealing with the illness was just as challenging to overcome.
He said he thought about what he might do if hockey was no longer an option, he even took to studying economics, but he refused to entertain the possibility that he wouldn’t be able to play again.
As Reway gradually returned to health, doctors confirmed he was no longer at risk.
Then came the challenge of getting back on the ice.
“I was surprised that my hands weren’t as bad as I expected,” he said of the experience, which took place only five weeks ago. “The legs and the cardio wasn’t that good, but that’s understandable after a year of not playing. I think it’s getting better every day.”
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It might be a long shot to push Reway onto the Canadiens roster come October, but don’t tell him that.
When Reway was asked what he’d say to those who doubt he can ascend to hockey’s highest rank this fall, he said: “They will see. I’m pretty sure.”
“I’m being given the opportunity to show that I can play with them and to be part of the team,” Reway added. “But I don’t want to be there just because of what happened and [because] it’s a good story or something. I want to deserve my place there.”
It’ll be a considerable challenge for Reway to prove he belongs, but it’s a challenge that pales in comparison to what he’s already faced.
He doesn’t seem altogether concerned about it.
“I’m just more excited to be on the ice every day,” he said. “It’s really good for me.”
