National Post (National Edition)
COVID-19 CONCERNS FOR PENS, HABS
TEAMS HOLD BACK PLAYERS FROM OPENING OF TRAINING CAMPS
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens — set to face off in the qualifying tournament next month — both have ongoing COVID-19 concerns.
Pittsburgh announced it voluntarily held back an unidentified nine players from the start of camp due to potential secondary exposure. They had been close to a person who in turn had contact with someone that tested positive.
A tweet from the team stated the decision was made “to sideline the players out of abundance of caution in an effort to avoid exposure to anyone else within the organization. The players will rejoin the team when it is deemed safe to do so in accordance with NHL protocol and further test results.”
A total of 11 Pens were absent from practice Monday and Tuesday, including forwards Anthony Angello, Patric Hornqvist, Adam Johnson, Sam Miletic, Samuel Poulin, Phil Varone, defencemen Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Juuso Riikola and goalies Casey DeSmith, Alex D’Orio and Emil Larmi.
The Canadiens had a couple of “false positives” on three players who tested prior to camp, on top of holding out Max Domi a few days as doctors assess if the star’s Type 1 diabetes is too much of a complicating factor for COVID. Defenceman Karl Alzner already decided he would opt out of the Return To Play tournament.
Captain Shea Weber did not practise Tuesday, his absence falling under the cone of silence all teams can now invoke for injuries or COVID, though he later came out on his own.
Coach Claude Julien expects the defenceman back on Wednesday. Defenceman Xavier Ouellet and left winger Brett Kulak have missed both days.
THE GREAT COVERUP
To mask or not to mask? While most Canadians in populous regions are donning PPE indoors or for situations where social distancing is impossible, it’s a little trickier for NHL coaches.
For example, staffs in Calgary and Toronto did not wear them as camps opened this week, while Boston’s Bruce Cassidy and most of his assistants had them on. While the league hasn’t mandated them, Cassidy said they were following guidelines set forth by their own medical staff, at least for the first few days of being reintroduced to close contact with players.
Bruins’ captain Zdeno
Chara wore one for his post-practice Zoom call with the media.
“This is a test for us in many ways,” said Chara. “We’ve just got to work with the health department and people who are trying to find the best solutions. Everybody has to take some responsibility to do what it takes to get past this pandemic.”
Calgary’s Geoff Ward also is taking advice from his team’s medical staff, but noted masks aren’t mandatory and worried that if he yells instruction, his commands would be muffled. His assistants are mask-free, other than goalie coach Jordan Sigalet, who has multiple sclerosis and would be at risk.
“If it gets to the point where the medical people feel I have to wear one, I’ll put one on,” Ward promised.
BLUES’ PERUNOVICH AGREES TO TERMS
Reigning Hobey Baker Award winner Scott Perunovich agreed to terms on a two-year, entry-level contract with the St. Louis Blues. Perunovich, who is eligible to join the Blues in the 2020-21 season, won the award as the U.S. NCAA’s best collegiate men’s ice hockey player this past season.
A defenceman with Minnesota Duluth, Perunovich led the National Collegiate Hockey Conference with 40 points (six goals, 34 assists) and was named NCHC Player of the Year.
Perunovich was selected by the Blues in the second round of the 2018 NHL draft.
Postmedia News with files from Reuters