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Cook of the Week: Wolves goalie tends to the cooking

When he's not stopping slap shots from his net at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Eddie Lack is likely to be in the kitchen.

The 24-year-old goalie for the Chicago Wolves burns a lot of calories on the ice, both at practice and at games, and those calories need to be replaced. So, as a single guy living far away from home, if he wants to eat, he has to cook.

“I've lived by myself since I was 18; I had to learn how to cook,” says the Swedish-born player who calls Palatine home during the hockey season.

Growing up outside of Stockholm, Eddie watched his grandmother prepare such traditional Swedish fare as fried pig blood, but said most of his meals were “pasta and steak with potatoes, just like you guys eat.”

During the season, breakfast might mean scrambled eggs, about four, a few strips of bacon and some yogurt with berries and granola before hitting the rink. He'll down a protein shake after practice and then have a sandwich and soup for lunch. “I might boil a couple of eggs and eat them as a snack,” he adds.

Dinners generally include fish or meat and pasta, rice or potatoes — “I need a lot of carbs” — and maybe a fresh-baked apple crisp for dessert. Before turning in for the night, he mixes up another protein shake.

Now that doesn't mean Eddie doesn't enjoy eating out with his fiancee, Therese Olander, and his roomie, Wolves center Jordan Schroeder. They might share an Italian meal at Gianni's or grab a burger at Lamplighter's near their apartment, stop for a sandwich and cookies at Corner Bakery or sample sushi at Wildfish in Arlington Heights.

Back at home, Eddie is a guy who cooks by feel, stirring things together and trying new dishes out a couple times a week. He likes creating creamy sauces for his food, like the rich lemony sauce that cloaks his breaded fish fillets or the soy-spiked sauce that accompanies the Swedish meatballs that helped earn him the nickname “The Swedish Chef” among this teammates.

“I also like Italian ... like spaghetti Bolognese.”

He savors Food Network, watching cooking shows from his laptop when the team is on the road and turning to Google for help finding new recipes.

“The last couple of years I've been searching for recipes, trying out new stuff,” Eddie says. “It's nice to mix it up.”

Eddie, who has a shutout under his belt and seems destined for a spot in the NHL, knows that if anything goes horribly wrong he can always call the pizza guy.

Swedish Meatballs

Eddie's Encrusted Fish Fillets

  Eddie Lack, goalie for the Chicago Wolves, makes Swedish meatballs in his Palatine kitchen. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
  Eddie Lack, goalie for the Chicago Wolves, makes Swedish meatballs in his Palatine kitchen. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
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