When Alaska Nanooks defenseman Kaare Odegard returned to Fairbanks for his junior season, he was a long way from his home in Red Deer, Alberta — over 2,000 miles away across western Canada.
And he likely felt even further away than that.
Odegard’s father, Scott — whom Kaare describes as his “biggest fan” — suffered a nonfatal but massive myocardial infarction (heart attack) just weeks before the 2011-12 hockey season began. In fact, he was still in the hospital when Kaare had to return to Alaska earlier this fall.