There is news that makes you smile, even more so when it arrives during the holiday season. A year after his last return from injury, the number 12 of Lausanne HC received medical validation to resume playing with his teammates. For the reception of the EHC Kloten this Thursday, January 2 at the Vaudoise arena, the co-captain of the Lausanne Hockey club Michael Raffle spoke with us about his incredible rehabilitation work and return to play.
A comeback in January: repeated encore
Lausanne Hockey number 12 is back! This simple sentence is enough to cause an earthquake in the LHC community. Almost a year later of his previous comeback, Michael Raffle once again showed the enthusiast and hard worker that he is by overcoming a new operation.
Michael Raffle : “It’s true that we find ourselves in the same situation as last year in terms of my return from injury. Experiencing a new operation with all that it entails is not easy to cope with. I’m a fighter, I didn’t let myself get discouraged and I continued to give my all to find my way back to the ice. Once again, I can only thank the organization including the doctor, the physio or the physical trainer for their work and their kindness throughout this journey.
Today, I come back 100% with the same intentions and the same determination as last year. I am passionate about this sport, it is only a pleasure to still be able to play professionally ».
Alexandre Spano (Physiotherapist from Lausanne Hockey Club): “Raffl has, once again, shown great discipline, whether physically or mentally, to get back in shape. He is 100% committed to his rehabilitation and his return testifies to his determination and professionalism ».
Emotions in your eyes
His return at the start of 2024 coincided with the good performances of our Lions at the end of the regular season and the playoffs. Between the exceptional evenings experienced at the Vaudoise arena and the level of physical play that Raffl instills in his entire team when he is on the ice, the Austrian hopes to relive a similar rest of the season in the company of his “guys”.
-Michael Raffle : “It was an extraordinary end to the season in which we experienced some very strong moments and it was important to me to be able to continue in a new season. I spent my summer in Lausanne working hard physically, but found myself once again having to watch the guys start a season without me. It’s very hard to live with not being able to help them on the ice when things are not going well, you can only be there every day at the rink to support them. In the meantime, I continued to try to be a leader for the collective and set a good example. Ultimately, there are things you can’t control.
Seeing them give their all every night, achieve excellent results and play in a Vaudoise arena full of passionate fans, it gave me even more strength to return to the game ».
A return that was not guaranteed
At the age of 36, the co-captain of the LHC has suffered several serious injuries, regularly taking him away from the ice. Despite his ultra-physical game and his 10 years of experience in the United States, the winger still shows today that his greatest strength remains his mental steel.
Michael Raffle : “I really worried about the rest of my career. The initial news from the doctors wasn’t great and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to come back properly. As I told you, there are things you can’t control and I decided to focus on the only place where I still had an impact: my rehabilitation phase. I put myself in my bubble with a clear objective which was to be able to play again in front of the Lausanne public ».
