It was November 19th, when Minnesota starting netminder Devan Dubnyk had returned home from Buffalo to find his wife, Jennifer Dubnyk, was having a medical emergency.
Out of respect for Jennifer and her medical concerns, Dubnyk has elected not to specify exactly what the ailment is, however, he has finally opened up about how it has affected him, their family, and how they're handling the situation.
"It's been a tough month to say the least," says Dubnyk, who hasn't played since November 16th. "We've been to many, many different doctors, the hospital twice and checkups and blood draws. The poor girl's been poked by a needle maybe 30 to 40 times in the last few weeks."
Minnesota's star goaltender also noted that they've gotten some answers from doctors and have a plan that's "hopefully going to take care of it and get her better."
He went on to tell The Athletic; "It's going to take time, and it's a bit up in the air. We don't know fully where we're going to go with it. We kind of have a plan in place now, so it's still not easy and it's still going to take time. I just want her to feel better as soon as she can."
An emotional Dubnyk opened up about when the two first met, reminiscing on his days playing in juniors, when he met the young Jennifer just before his 20th birthday.
He recalled their first date; "I convinced her to let me take her out for dinner, and that was it."
Now mother to their 3 children, Jennifer and Devan have been together through it all, from his time at what he refers to as "rock bottom," in which he found himself abruptly traded from Edmonton to Nashville, then to Montreal, where he was sent to the minors subsequently.
The star goaltender recollected times of depression, wondering if he'd find his way back to the NHL.
Of course, Dubnyk would find his way back to the NHL, reestablishing his career after being traded from the Coyotes to the Wild, where he would save their 2015 season, and go on to win the Masterton Trophy and finish the season as a Vezina finalist.
Reminiscing on these times, he noted that "Jenn supported me every step along the way. That's why this has been so tough."
The beloved Wild goaltender made it very clear when speaking with The Athletic that he plans to be by his wife's side, supporting her every step of the way through what he refers to as "the biggest hardship of her life."
A visibly emotional Dubnyk would go on to say; "It's just really hard for me because Jenn...because she...because ever since I've known her and watched her give birth to the three kids and just the way she is, she just doesn't complain about anything. Like she's just, it's hard to see somebody that is so tough be in this position.”
He continued;
“She's the toughest person in the world to me. To see her going through this and then to obviously not be feeling good, you just want so badly for her to feel good and feel normal. It's difficult being away from her. It's hard right now. What's funny is I'd probably say she was pushing me to get back and get playing right from the start.”
While the star netminder has taken time away from the team to be with his wife and children during this time, it's clear that Jenn's support of her husband's career is limitless.
“I mean, she was telling me to go on the Florida trip right after this happened and I'm like, ‘Not yet. It's not time yet,” Dubnyk told The Athletic.
Devan has been very adamant that family comes first and has been by Jenn's side every step of the way.
Though he hasn't started in net since mid November, when the team is home, he has been practicing with them regularly, trying to stay sharp for his inevitable return, while remaining close to home for the sake of his family.
The question in play regarding his return is Minnesota's overall production.
Through Dubnyk's first 13 starts this season, the netminder went 4-8-2 with a 3.35 goals-against average and .893 save percentage.
Meanwhile, since he has been away from the team, they've gone 9-3-3 with multi-game point streaks.
Wild Head Coach Bruce Bourdeau addressed the media regarding Dubnyk's start to the season and his return;
“He's been our No. 1 since I got here and I don't think just because his wife getting sick that he should lose that job. I think if anything it's going to put a little pressure on him to get back to where he should be or where we expect him to be at the same time. I think when he does get in that he's going to be fine. He's just got to get some practice time.”
Dubnyk also spoke on the ‘pressures' his rough start and time away from the team may have on his play;
“I've played so many games that after a few minutes it'll just feel like normal again.”
He also added;
“I think it takes the pressure away from feeling like I need to come flying back. Obviously it's been a tricky situation, but it's been nice because when the guys are winning it's not like everything's just crumbling, you're losing a bunch and you feel like there's this added pressure to come back and play. You don't have to come in and play in a game and then be out for four or five days because Alex (Stalock) and Kaapo (Kahkonen) and the guys have been so good.
To be able to watch the guys win, I'll be happy if they keep playing like this the rest of the year. I've always said if we're winning it doesn't matter who's in the net, if it's me or someone else. But you certainly want to make sure that when you get back you're contributing to the good play that's been going on.”
While he's obviously looking forward to his return, as are his family and teammates, it has been made very clear that Dubnyk's number one priority is the health and happiness of his beloved wife, proving once again that some things are bigger than hockey.
