The Swedish professional ice hockey player Erik Karlsson has been married to his wife, Melinda, for over 7 years. The couple faced and dealt with several troubles.
Nevertheless, the two stayed strong together and now have a great married life. Before he met Melinda, Erik was married to Therese Karlsson, but their union did not last long.
Even though Erik and Therese had dated for three years before exchanging vows, the couple announced their divorce just after a year of marriage. But Erik now thinks of himself as lucky to have Melinda in his life.
Born in Landsbro, Sweden, Erik Karlsson grew up playing ice hockey with his younger brother, Pelle.
Both brothers aspired to become professional ice hockey players when they were kids and enjoyed seeing the games of Swedish veterans like Mats Sundin and Niklas Lidstrom.
Meanwhile, Erik has been playing in the NHL since 2009. On the other hand, Pelle currently plays for Boro/ Vetlanda HC in Swedish Division 2 league.
Erik Karlsson’s Wife, Melinda, & Their Kids
The Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Erik Karlsson is married to his wife, Melinda Karlsson.
Karlsson met her while he was playing in the NHL for Ottawa Senators.
The two completely fell in love with each other and got engaged on November 18, 2016.
Almost a year later, on August 5, their marriage was held at the National Gallery of Canada.
They are the parents of two kids. Their daughter, Harlow Rain Karlsson, was born on October 3, 2019. Likewise, they welcomed their son, Stellan Axel, on February 2, 2022.
Previously, in 2017, Erik had announced that they were expecting their first child through an Instagram post.
Unfortunately, their son was stillborn, which devastated the couple. Erik revealed the death of his son on his social media handle on March 20, 2018.
Who Is Melinda Karlsson?
Born and brought up in Ottawa, Melinda attended Hillcrest High School. After graduating, she enrolled at Carleton University to pursue higher studies.
She eventually earned her bachelor’s degree in communications with a minor in psychology in 2010.
After graduation, she studied French for two years at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ontario.
As per her LinkedIn profile, Melinda has been working as the chief marketing officer at Wellington Creative, a business marketing agency.
The Karlssons-Monika Caryk Case
Erik Karlsson’s wife, Melinda, filed a protection order against Monika Caryk on June 12, 2018, for harassing them online.
According to her, Mike Hoffman’s wife, then his girlfriend, Caryk, harassed the couple for many months online.
The incident started before the birth of their stillborn child, and it continued until some months after their son’s passing.
Melinda accused Monika of sending her hurtful messages, including some related to her son’s death, using several fake accounts.
However, Erik’s Ottawa Senators teammate Mike Hoffman denied the allegations, saying he and Caryk would never do such a nasty thing to their friends.
He also added that they were willing to cooperate to solve the issue.
The following matter was later taken to court. The Ottawa police initiated an investigation into the allegations of criminal harassment involving Caryk.
However, until now, no formal criminal charges have been brought against Caryk.
She has consistently denied the accusations of harassing Karlsson during legal proceedings, including court filings and depositions.
