Picture this: arena lights dim, fans holding “Loud 4 Linus” signs, a video tribute rolling on the big screen. Linus Ullmark stands tall in the crease, chest pounding after 35 days away, soaking in the roar before facing the New Jersey Devils.
The 32-year-old Ottawa Senators goalie had stepped back right before Christmas, citing mental health challenges that hit hard after a tough trade from Boston last summer. Anxiety crept in during games, self-doubt lingered in practices, and life off the ice as a dad and husband weighed heavily.
He leaned on the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, easing back on his terms without rush. That Saturday night in late January 2026 marked his return, and Ullmark stuffed 26 shots in a 4-1 Senators win, snapping a skid and kicking off a three-game streak.
For a guy with a Vezina Trophy from his 2023 Bruins days, this felt like more than a bounce-back. Ottawa sits eight points from the wild card, desperate for net stability amid a so-so season.
Fans Fuel the Firepower
Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Centre turned into a support fest on Ullmark’s big night. Signs waved, cheers drowned out the anthems, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation just for showing up. Teammates mobbed him in the locker room pre-game, with captain Brady Tkachuk chipping in a goal and two assists to seal the deal.
Ullmark called the backing “tremendous” from day one, crediting the whole organization for holding space during his absence. Rumors of trades or drama got shut down quickly by the team, keeping the focus on his well-being.
Linus Ullmark (Credit: CBS)
His stats this year hover middling at 14-8-5, 2.95 GAA, and .881 save percentage over 28 games before the break, a dip from Buffalo and Boston peaks. Fans on Instagram and Reddit poured love after he opened up to TSN’s Claire Hanna, admitting the time away sharpened him as a player and family man.
That raw chat cut through the noise, turning a personal battle into league-wide solidarity. Players across teams checked in, reminding everyone that mental health breaks carry zero stigma in today’s NHL.
Playoff Hunt Heats Up
Ullmark eyes the net nightly now, with Ottawa chasing that wild-card spot into the Olympic break. He backed up a game post-return before grabbing the starter’s role against Colorado, signaling trust from the coaches.
Past seasons paint the picture: lower-body tweaks cost him 29 games in Buffalo, and a back issue sidelined him a month last year with the Sens. Yet when healthy, he posts solid lines like 25-14-3 and a 2.72 GAA in 2024-25. The Senators crave that reliability, especially after his four-year, $20 million Boston pact led to Ottawa via trade.
Recent wins, including this Devils rout, lift a squad fighting inconsistency. Ullmark described practices as “coming out of retirement,” battling rust but feeling sharper each day. Next tests hit Pittsburgh and beyond, where every save counts in the tight Atlantic Division.
His family back home, Swedish roots strong, grounded him through the grind. League chatter praises his grit, from SHL standout to North American wars. As the calendar flips to February 2026, Linus looks locked in, turning hardship into highlight-reel fuel. Fans chant his name louder, knowing the road back was real.
Ever wonder how a scrappy Baltic outpost turned into Europe’s drill sergeant? Prussia started as pagan tribes in what’s now northern Poland and Russia, minding their own until the Teutonic Knights rolled in during the 1200s with crosses and swords.
Those crusaders crushed resistance, built castles, and Germanized the region, creating a monastic state that morphed into the Duchy of Prussia by 1525 under secular rule. Fast-forward to 1701, when Elector Frederick III crowned himself King Frederick I in Prussia, kicking off a kingdom that punched way above its weight.
Hohenzollern rulers like Frederick the Great grabbed Silesia in the 1740s, survived Napoleon’s smackdown, and rebuilt into a machine of discipline and muskets. By the 1860s, Otto von Bismarck played 4D chess with wars against Denmark, Austria, and France, crowning Wilhelm I as German Emperor in 1871 at Versailles.
Prussia dominated the new empire, its bureaucracy and army setting the tone until the whole setup cracked. That relentless march hit walls after World War I, then shattered completely post-1945.
Bismarck’s Iron Fist Wins Germany
Prussia’s real glow-up came under Bismarck, who turned a patchwork of states into a powerhouse. Named prime minister in 1862, he sparked quick wars: Denmark in 1864, Austria in 1866 at Königgrätz, then France in 1870, where Sedan crushed Napoleon III.
Those victories glued northern German states to Prussia, sidelining rivals and birthing the German Empire. Prussian virtues like mandatory service from 1836 and the Zollverein customs union fueled economic muscle, making Berlin a hub of efficiency.
Prussia (Credit: CBN)
Frederick William, the Great Elector, laid the groundwork earlier by merging Brandenburg with Prussia after 1660, dodging the Thirty Years’ War devastation.
Critics point to the army’s shadow over everything, from schools to parliament, but it worked: Prussia held 2/3 of Germany’s seats in the Reichstag and ran the show. That dominance bred resentment, especially after Wilhelm II ditched Bismarck in 1890 and chased risky naval dreams.
Final Curtain in Allied Fire
World War I wrecked Prussia’s aura. The 1919 Weimar Republic kept it as a Free State, but Hitler killed off federalism in 1934, folding states into the Third Reich. Post-1945 Potsdam Agreement did the deed: Allies declared Prussia dissolved, citing its militarism as Europe’s curse.
Territories split; East Prussia went to Poland and USSR, with Königsberg renamed Kaliningrad; the rest was divided between East and West Germany. No king, no flag, just ghosts in history books. Frederick II’s Sanssouci palace stands as a relic, while modern debates rage over Prussian pride in unified Germany.
Poland claims swaths once Prussian, fueling border gripes even now. Historians argue its bureaucracy inspired modern states, but the martial vibe tainted it forever.
Today’s tourists snap pics at Prussian sites, oblivious to how this kingdom redrew Europe twice over. Brandenburg Gates still echo old marches, a reminder that empires vanish when wars turn sour.
