Matt Olson, the onetime Twin Cities high school hockey standout severely paralyzed in a junior game in suburban Chicago, has been moved to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, where he will undergo intensive rehabilitation.
Olson hit the boards Feb. 21 playing in a home game for the Chicago Cougars. Ever since, he's been in Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Ill., unable to move below the shoulders because of a severe spinal injury.
His schedule since his transfer Friday has been "very full as he settles into his new routine of intensive rehabilitation," Matt's parents, Sue and Doug, said Tuesday in a statement issued through Mayo.
Olson, a 2014 graduate of Totino-Grace High School in Fridley, said it was "overwhelming and exciting" to see some of the equipment available to him, his parents added. "He knows it will take hard work, mental toughness and patience."
Support for the Olsons, of Isanti, and his family since the injury has reached the pinnacle of the hockey world. Late last month, when the Wild and Chicago Blackhawks met in St. Paul, both teams wore stickers on their helmets in honor of Olson, and the Xcel Energy Center's traditional "Let's Play Hockey!" pregame call was made by member's of his family.
Fundraising efforts continue for the family, including auctions that the Wild and Blackhawks staged, raising tens of thousands of dollars. Olson's doctors said millions of dollars in medical expenses will be necessary for Olson's treatment and rehab.
The fundraising campaign at gofundme.com/mattolson-3 has collected more than $184,000 as of Wednesday.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
