The Colorado Avalanche have experienced their first case of COVID-19. The player has already recovered. Also, news on the season.
The Colorado Avalanche have announced that one of our own has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. It’s not news by now, but here’s the statement from the team:
"The Colorado Avalanche were advised today that a player has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The player has been at home in isolation since the first symptoms appeared, has recovered and is back to normal. The Avalanche have notified anyone who has had known close contact with the athlete.The health and safety of our players, staff, fans, and community remains our highest priority. The Avalanche organization will continue to work in conjunction with our medical staff and public health officials to do everything we can to help the Avalanche community remain safe and healthy during this time."
This one hits home. I don’t know, for some reason this makes the pandemic situation more real. I get the athlete is OK, has already recovered, but it doesn’t matter. I’m just gutted that one of our guys had to go through the anxiety and is still probably worried that he may have infected someone else with the highly contagious disease.
Two Ottawa Senators players have also tested positive.
Meanwhile, yesterday, the NHL announced that they’ve postponed the 2020 NHL Scouting Combine, NHL Awards, and NHL Draft indefinitely. Here were the original dates:
- Combine: June 1-6
- NHL Awards: June 18
- NHL Draft: June 27-28
Except for the Combine, the events were slated to take place after the awarding of the Stanley Cup.
As of right now, nothing has been officially canceled — including the rest of the 2019-20 season. The NHL is watching how the pandemic is affecting the world.
Many fans assume the rest of the season will be cancelled. However, the NHL has requested arena availability through the end of August. One potential plan that’s been laid out is for the teams to resume the season in July, hold the playoffs August and September, and be off in October. The 2020-21 season would begin in November.
On Tuesday the general managers held a conference call. They discussed their various options and concerns. One is, of course, financial.
If the NHL is forced to cancel the rest of the season and the playoffs, the league could lose up to $1 billion. Therefore, MSN Sports reports that they are likely to do everything possible to save as much of the season as possible within safe parameters.
Well, Colorado Avalanche fans, what do you think are the chances the team will finish out this season?