Melinda Currey, Erik Karlsson’s Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Melinda Karlsson nee Currey is the wife of Erik Karlsson, the captain of the Ottawa Senators.

The couple has had a roller coaster year in 2018. In addition to the much ballyhooed — but ultimately fruitless — rumors of one of hockey’s elite defensemen being shopped at the NHL trade deadline, the couple was expecting their first-born son in mid-April. In late March, the heartbroken Karlsson family announced that their unborn son, Axel, died in utero.

Months later, reports have come out that Melinda Karlsson is accusing the fiancé of Erik’s teammate, Mike Hoffman, of a calculated series of harassments.

Here’s what you need to know:

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1. She Has Accused Monika Caryk of Harassment

Melinda Karlsson has filed an order of protection against Mike Hoffman’s girlfriend, Monika Caryk. Mrs. Karlsson has accused Caryk of a “season-long campaign of targeted online harassment” against her, according to the New York Post.

“Monika Caryk has uttered numerous statements wishing my unborn child dead. She also uttered that she wished I was dead and that someone should ‘take out’ my husband’s legs to ‘end his career.’ Monika Caryk has posted over 1,000 negative and derogatory statements about me as a professional,” reads the official court statements, in part.

Hoffman has responded to the claims, saying that his girlfriend, whom he has been dating for nearly 10 years, had nothing to do with the cyber attacks.

“There is a 150-percent chance that my fianceé Monika and I are not involved in any of the accusations that have been pursued (that are) coming our way. We totally understand there’s no place for cyberbullying. We’ve offered to cooperate and do anything it takes to find out who is doing this, and support (the Karlssons). Obviously this is a tough time that they’re going through, and we want to find out who is doing this, because for some reason it’s coming into our court, and it’s 150 percent that it’s not us. We have nothing to hide. We’re willing to cooperate in any way to solve this and figure it out, and prove that it wasn’t us,” Hoffman said in a statement. 

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2. Her Son, Axel, Was Stillborn

Melinda and Erik were expecting their first child this year. The couple shared their exciting baby news with the world in the fall, and were overjoyed to become parents.

In March, however, Erik shared the devastating news that the couple’s son was stillborn. He posted the following message on Instagram along with a picture of his son’s footprints.

“At this extremely difficult time it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel but we know one day we’ll get there. We would like to thank everyone for the love and support we have received and also for respecting our privacy and the process we need to go through now. We feel very lucky to be Axels parents. Even though he was stillborn, we know we will hold him again one day under different circumstances and the joy he gave us will be with us forever,” Erik Karlsson said in a statement posted on social media on March 21.

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3. She Married Karlsson Last Year

Erik Karlsson proposed to his lady love in 2016, putting an engagement ring in a pizza box.

“In case there was ever any doubt that he’s the one… #dreamproposal #dreamguy,” Melinda Karlsson captioned a picture of the pizza box/engagement ring (she has since deleted her Instagram account).

Karlsson also posted his own engagement announcement, captioning a picture of him and his bride-to-be, “Couldn’t be more proud to call her my forever. Without her I’m nothing. #shesaidyes.”

Flash forward nine months, and Melinda became Mrs. Karlsson. She and Erik celebrated their big day at the National Gallery of Canada in August.

According to the NHL’s website, former Senators player and captain Daniel Alfredsson was Karlsson’s best man, and country music star Dallas Smith performed at the wedding reception.

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4. She Graduated From Carleton University With a Degree in Communications

Melinda Karlsson graduated from Carleton University, located in Ontario, in 2010. She obtained her Honors Degree in communications and minored in psychology.

“The Communication and Media Studies program at Carleton (previously the BA in Communication Studies) is offered as a four-year Honours program,” reads the description of the program on the university’s website.

After graduation, she went on to study French at Algonquin College. She attended classes there for two years.

Melinda Karlsson is very much into giving back, and spends a great deal of time doing charity work. For the past few years, she has been on the Caring and Sharing Exchange Board. She also has taken part in the Boobyball, which helps raise money for breast cancer. According to Nicholle Anderson’s blog, Mrs. Karlsson had been working on a charity of her own — an anti-bullying campaign called “Can’t Dim My Light.”

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5. She Works for Wellington Creative in Ottawa

Melinda Karlsson’s LinkedIn profile lists her current position as Chief Marketing Officer at Wellington Creative, a firm that bills itself as “Ottawa’s Digital Creative Agency.” According to her profile, she’s held the position since December 2013 and her duties include “creative consulting, advising, marketing, project management.”

“Wellington Creative is an Ottawa based digital creative agency specializing in web design, development and marketing,” the company’s sparse website reads.

Melinda Karlsson has served in multiple marketing positions previously, some of which she still holds concurrently. Her LinkedIn page also details her position as Head of Marketing for Maderacraft, which she’s held since December 2015. She also currently serves as an ambassador for Visalus Science, a home-based social media marketing company.

Prior to these roles, Melinda Karlsson was a representative for Labatt Breweries from January 2006 through July 2009. Her duties included marketing, facilitated, organizing and launching company events and coordinating these events with venue owners.