Friday’s Tampa Bay Lightning game serves as a “happy ending” for a family of Lightning fans from across the world.
The Aanonsen family was preparing for their first Lightning game at AMALIE Arena to be last February, but a once-in-a-lifetime accident altered their plans two days before they were set to leave their home in Norway for the United States.
Now 14-year-old Magnus Aanonsen was skiing in Norway with his younger sister and father, Odd, when an avalanche hit. Magnus and his sister were swept in one direction, and Odd was separated from his children.
When Odd located his children five minutes later, he knew immediately that Magnus needed help.
Magnus suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized for two months. Among his injuries were a punctured lung, severe leg injury and other organ damage that forced him into a coma for multiple days.
Now more than a year later, the Aanonsen family has made their rescheduled trip to Tampa and will watch the Lightning take on the Detroit Red Wings on Friday.
“It was just horrible,” Odd said Friday at AMALIE Arena of the accident. “I didn’t have my gear because we were not skiing in avalanche-dangerous areas. I wouldn’t go there with my kids, I always do the risk assessments. It was just horrible, the helplessness standing there. It’s been a tough ride, but here we are. It’s a happy ending really.”
The Aanonsens became Lightning fans in 2019 when they traveled to Sweden for the NHL Global Series game between the Lightning and Buffalo Sabres. Tampa Bay won that game, and the team gained a fan in Magnus.
Magnus has played hockey since he was six years old, and the international game furthered his fandom for the sport.
“It was this big thing in Norway to go to Stockholm and see the NHL players,” Odd said. “We had Hedman and all the Scandinavian guys, so we were watching them up front, we were sitting down by the ice and got some pucks. Just a spark was ignited. It was really, really cool.”
Magnus has spent time at both forward and defense in his playing career. After spending two months in the hospital following his injury, he began skating again in September before another surgery related to the avalanche kept him away from the rink again. Magnus resumed playing full games three weeks ago after resuming his hockey training in November.
One final surgery is scheduled for a few weeks from now, ending what’s been a long road of recovery. Throughout that process, the Lightning—and Norwegian defenseman Emil Lilleberg in particular—have eased some of the burden.
During Magnus’ recovery, his father sent a message to the Lightning organization explaining what had happened. Within hours he received a response from someone in the organization, telling the family that the team was pulling for their son and wanted to help facilitate his first game in Tampa once he got healthy.
That same day, Lilleberg recorded a video message for Magnus wishing him a speedy recovery. It was a message of hope and well wishes, one nobody has forgotten.
“It was so great having this as motivation,” Odd said of the Lightning support. “In the hospital he had a Lightning shirt on his wall, and we got the video message from Lilleberg. In those kinds of times, it was so great.”
After Friday’s morning skate, Magnus got to meet Lilleberg in person. The duo talked about hockey in their home country, Magnus shared his update of good news and getting back to playing. Lilleberg shared how he reached the NHL before giving Magnus one of his hockey sticks.
When the Aanonsens walked into the rink on Friday morning, they were greeted by a ‘Welcome Magnus’ message on the big screen. It was a surreal moment for both Magnus and his family.
“It’s all the things he had missed because of the accident as well, so this is like getting everything back,” Odd said. “I think meeting Lilleberg today and getting a stick, it’s the coolest thing.”
Magnus said after the morning skate that he feels good, and he was excited that he got to meet Lilleberg as well as Lightning forwards Jake Guentzel, Anthony Cirelli and Yanni Gourde.
After talking with Lilleberg, Magnus—who plays defense himself—said the original video of well wishes was appreciated.
“It was a nice gesture,” he said, “and it was nice while being at the hospital to get some support.”
The young Lightning fan predicted a 4-2 win for the Lightning on Friday. No matter how the game ends, though, today was a day the Aanonsens will never forget.
It’s a day their son worked for, a dream reached with some motivational help from Magnus’ favorite NHL player and his favorite NHL team.
“We said we were coming back when we were ready, now we’re ready and here we are,” Odd said. “This has been just tremendous.”
“It’s just so great for us. It’s like a happy ending.”
