Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Linus Ullmark is gearing up to step back into the net for the Senators after taking a leave of absence from the team in December. The goaltender subsequently found himself at the center of some salacious rumors with no basis in reality, and he had some stern words for the people responsible for spreading them while breaking his silence on the matter.
It’s relatively rare for a professional athlete to step away from their team for an extended period of time in the middle of the season, and it’s usually safe to assume they have a good reason for doing so.
Players who go that route without offering a concrete explanation tend to find themselves in an awkward spot due to fans who think they’re entitled to one when that situation unfolds. Teams will usually issue a statement asking the public to respect their privacy, but far too many people take that as an invitation to attempt to play detective and try to get to the bottom of the matter.
Many others won’t think twice about buying into rumors without bothering to take a second to think if they have any merit, which is what happened after Ottawa Senators netminder Linus Ullmark decided to take a leave of absence toward the end of December.
He recently rejoined the team ahead of a tentative return to play, and he took the people responsible for smearing him to task after sitting down to address the slander he was subjected to.
Linus Ullmark was blindsided by the rumors that spread after he stepped away from the Senators
Ullmark had posted a 14-8-5 record during his second season with the Senators when he announced he had decided to take a leave of absence a day after surrendering four goals to the Maple Leafs before being pulled in Ottawa’s 8-4 loss on December 27th.
Neither he nor the team offered any additional information concerning the circumstances of his departure, and a couple of weeks later, Ottawa GM Steve Staios issued a fairly extraordinary statement taking aim at the “trolls and sick people” who had amplified a false narrative concerning Ullmark’s departure.
A statement from President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Steve Staios. pic.twitter.com/aTb7taO2av
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) January 9, 2026
The source of the rumor was an anonymous fan who baselessly claimed Ullmark had relayed his teammate’s infidelities on road trips to his wife before he was caught cheating, which led to her alerting other girlfriends and spouses while making him a pariah in the locker room.
That would obviously be a juicy story if it had any basis in reality. However, there was literally no evidence to support it, and Brady Tkachuk echoed the aforementioned statement when he firmly denied there was any merit.
Ullmark had remained silent on the matter, but he recently sat down with TSN to address what he had to deal with after they came to his attention during what seemed to be an already difficult time for him.
Sens G Linus Ullmark sat down with TSN’s Claire Hanna and discussed his leave of absence from the team. Full sit down will be posted to TSN’s YouTube channel and https://t.co/XalW2j4LtU later today. pic.twitter.com/hG45Jk1bno
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 20, 2026
The Swedish goalie had a pointed response, saying:
“People wonder why hockey players are not talking; why we’re not showing any sort of emotions, why mental health in men and in women is a stigma.
It took them less than 24 hours from my leave of absence to try to find reasons why I’m gone. Saying I’m a homewrecker, a person that no one likes on the team, and I can’t defend myself.
I didn’t know about this until days later, and it sucks because I have a family. I have a wife, I have kids. I get sent text messages asking , ‘Hey, are you guys good?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, why?’ and then they tell you about the rumors.
I’m like, “What the f—k is wrong with people?'”
I think that’s a pretty reasonable reaction considering the circumstances.
Ullmark returned to skate with the Senators at practice on Friday, and while there’s currently no concrete timeline for his next start, he is traveling with the team on their current road trip and will likely see some action this week.