OTTAWA, Ontario — Erik Karlsson eased the tension at his first press conference in Canada since September’s trade to the Sharks by sitting down at the podium and cracking a joke that everyone in the local media understood: “the time is nigh.”
In the 24 hours leading into his presser in Ottawa, a clip of the two-time Norris Trophy winner walking out on the Canadian media in Toronto Wednesday night went viral on social media and was played in a loop on sports television. As Karlsson stepped into a scrum to talk about the Sharks 5-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ken Campbell of the Hockey News said, “well Erik, the time is nigh for your big game in Ottawa.