Minnesota Wild goaltender Josh Harding vows not to let multiple sclerosis hinder his hockey career. (Getty Images)

Minnesota Wild goaltender Josh Harding revealed on Wednesday that he was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but he isn't going to let that slow down his hockey career.

The Wild's backup to Niklas Backstrom, Harding has been with the Wild since they drafted him in 2002. He had a chance to leave Minnesota last summer and look for a potential starting spot but elected to re-sign with the Wild for three seasons and split time with Backstrom. He didn't want to give up on the Wild and wants to keep fighting for ice time for the only team he's known in the NHL.

He's bringing that same attitude to the task of dealing with MS. He spoke with Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, revealing the diagnosis and didn't seem anything but upbeat.

"I don't look at this like I've got to take a new path," said Harding, drafted 10 years ago by the Wild and months off signing a new three-year contract. "This is a little bump in the road. I've had lots in life."

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"I had a couple days where I felt bad for myself, but no more," said Harding, who plans on continuing his career. "There's things in life that happen. Sometimes you can't explain it. You deal with it."

What is MS, specifically? Well I didn't go to medical school or anything, so I'll leave it up to WebMD to take it from here.

"Multiple sclerosis or MS is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, resulting in loss of muscle control, vision, balance, and sensation [such as numbness]. With MS, the nerves of the brain and spinal cord are damaged by one's own immune system. Thus, the condition is called an autoimmune disease."

None of that sounds like it would be very helpful for somebody who stops shots from the best hockey players in the world. But really, it's not something that's going to prohibit him from playing as Wild team doctor Dan Peterson explained to Russo.

"It bodes well that we got on it right away before he got into a cycle of getting run down," Peterson said. "Maybe he never has another episode. Seventy percent of people with MS still go on to live long, productive, fulfilling lives. And from the first day, Josh hasn't lost that 'I'm going to kick its butt' attitude, so he can do this. There's no doubt he can keep playing."

Harding is no stranger to setbacks. He sat out the entire 2010-11 season after he tore both his ACL and MCL in September. Still, he came back last season and in 34 games had a 13-12-4 record with a 2.62 GAA and .917 save percentage. That's not to say that the two situations are similar -- tearing knee ligaments is hardly being diagnosed with MS -- but  arding has shown he can bounce back.

It makes it even easier to rebound when Harding is out to make it a feel-good story -- he wants to have this serve as an inspiration in addition to his willful nature.

Teams aren't supposed to talk about players during the lockout but this would qualify as an exception, so the Wild released a brief statement on the matter, sending along their best wishes.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Josh and his family following the news that he has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis,” said General Manager Chuck Fletcher. "Josh's competitive fire has led him to a successful career in the NHL and we know he will approach this new battle in the same manner."

Harding has already begun the battle. He has returned to practicing with his locked-out teammates.

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