Josh Harding on the comeback trail April 02, 2013 – St. Paul, Minnesota

After months of wondering and waiting, Josh Harding finally had some good news to bring to the place he loves most: the hockey rink.

Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis last fall, Harding has been on an emotional rollercoaster, as doctors struggled to find the right medication to treat the 6-year veteran. But it was all smiles on Thursday, as Harding, for the first time in weeks, stepped on to the Xcel Energy Center ice with a few teammates and reporters.

“It’s a big step for me,” he said. “Hopefully it just keeps going the right way.”

Harding and his doctors think they have finally found the right regimen to get the NHL’er back to where he needs to be.  He has been training for the past two weeks, and over the last ten days he says he’s been feeling great.

“Just have to keep going forward,” he said. “The way I’ve been feeling, we’re going to keep pushing it. And, hopefully, get back out there and do whatever I can do to help the team. That’s what I want to do.’’

Harding knows that despite the good news, it will be a slow grind to get back to competitive hockey. But at least now he feels he can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“He’s getting close,” Wild coach Mike Yeo said. “And that’s a great thing. We’re hoping that this is a great story. I think he looks great. Physically he’s feeling a lot better. We don’t have a time frame, we don’t know what it is. But we’re anxious to get him back, that’s for sure.’’

Family and friends, as well as a rabid fan base are anxious as well, and they all have their fingers crossed that Josh Harding can get back to doing what he does best: stopping rubber for the Minnesota Wild.