Gerbe makes first appearance at Hurricanes camp

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network
Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network

RALEIGH, N.C. – Forward Nathan Gerbe made his first appearance at Carolina Hurricanes training camp on Monday after missing the first four days of it due to a death in the family.

“I hope in the next couple of days I’ll be good,” Gerbe said of getting back onto the ice.

“This’ll be a good burn. Hopefully I’ll recover and get back at it tomorrow.”

As a result of the sudden death of his brother-in-law, Gerbe traveled to be with family and missed the opening of training camp.

After a full skate session behind him, he put his situation in perspective.

“That’s the way the cards are dealt,” Gerbe continued.

“So I’m gonna’ deal with whatever comes my way.”

For head coach Kirk Muller, Gerbe’s absence didn’t set him too far behind at this point.

“The only thing he kinda’ missed is our defensive zone coverage,” Muller said.

“Then we introduced the neutral zone today, so he caught that. He hasn’t really fallen behind on systematic-type stuff.”

Muller and the team’s management were supportive and provided the young NHL veteran the time he needed to tend to his family responsibilities.

After doing so, Gerbe arrived in Raleigh ready to play.

“He said to me, ‘the best thing is to get back on the ice and get playing again’,” Muller said.

“He seemed like he was ready to go and excited. I think he felt comfortable on the ice.”

With the energy that Gerbe provides with his fast-skating and tenacious style of play, it was no surprise that he worked out on a line with youngsters Jeff Skinner and Elias Lindholm in order to bring him up to speed on his first day in.

“He’s a real competitor, works hard, he has great skill,” Muller said.

“We’re excited to have him here and see what he can show.”