Mile High Sticking
Fansided

Colorado Avalanche: Reaction to Second Positive COVID Result

By Nadia Archuleta

DENVER, CO - MARCH 03: A detail photo of the puck on the ice as the Pittsburgh Penguins face the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on March 3, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. The Penguins defeated the Avalanche 5-1. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - MARCH 03: A detail photo of the puck on the ice as the Pittsburgh Penguins face the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on March 3, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. The Penguins defeated the Avalanche 5-1. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

A second Colorado Avalanche player has tested positive for coronavirus, which makes the fourth NHL infection to be announced.

The Colorado Avalanche announced that a second player has tested positive for COVID-19, the highly contagious virus that has caused a worldwide pandemic. The team has said the player is in self-isolation.

The announcement comes on the heels of a similar announcement from two days ago about a player who had tested positive. It was said he had already recovered. The current announcement is that no other players or staff have shown symptoms of the virus.

More from Mile High Sticking

Players will not get tested unless they show symptoms. All Avalanche players are currently in self-quarantine per NHL mandates. The self-quarantine was supposed to start March 12, which would put them at the two-week mark right now. However, the NHL one week later allowed players to return to their home cities. Most broke quarantine at that time.

Per the NHL, the self-quarantine period is supposed to continue through Saturday, April 4. However, the quarantine period could be longer for players who traveled. At the end of their quarantine, they may be allowed to participate in small group activities in club facilities.

So, those are the facts. What do we not know?

Practically everything. If the players are allowed to use team facilities after April 4, do they have to self-quarantine again because of travel back to Colorado? That’s not the biggest question, but it’s the one that came up first.

The bigger question, of course, is if there even is a season to save. We don’t know anything about how this pandemic is going to work out. The NHL wants to salvage the season, and has inquired about arena usage through August and September.

Another big question is who the infected players are. It’s none of our business, and I absolutely respect their privacy. As I noted in a previous article, I’m absolutely gutted thinking about the anxiety and worry these players must be going through.

The whole team, really. The Colorado Avalanche are a close-knit team. More than one player has said they’re like brothers. The ones who have been sick must be so worried about their brothers — and their brothers’ families. Because the reality is a 20-something or even 30-something professional athlete is unlikely to succumb to the disease — our own captain said it would be “like a cold” for them. But they have families who might not be as robust as they are.

That worry is probably why neither of the players has come out to the public.

In addition to the two Colorado Avalanche players, two Ottawa Senators players have tested positive. What’s interesting is that on March 8 and 9 the Avalanche were in a COVID-19 hotspot, California. They played in the San Jose and LA arenas. The Senators were in both arenas on March 10 and 11.

There have been no announcements from either the Sharks or Kings about infected players. However, the Sharks released a statement on March 12 that a part time employee had tested positive but hadn’t worked at the facility since March 3. The Kings have not released a similar statement.

I’m certainly not suggesting that one employee is responsible. While I think it’s said the virus can remain active for that long on surfaces, we have no information that that employee was in the visitor dressing room or other visitor areas. What’s more, that employee is the only one who tested positive. There could be other asymptomatic individuals.

The Avalanche and Senators were the Sharks’ last two home games. They did host the Minnesota Wild on March 5 and the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 3. Neither team has made announcements regarding infected players.

Next. Avs Things to Do During Hiatus. dark

I don’t know about you, Colorado Avalanche fans, but I’m not enjoying hockey in the time of coronavirus. Right now we could be following as our team returns from Winnipeg and prepares to face the Nashville Predators. Instead, we’re in the midst of the hockey hiatus.

Anyway, health rays to the infected Avs player — to all those affected by the virus.

Home/Avalanche News