Defenceman Chabot hopes to play out rest of season
Senators defenceman says he’s hopeful league will not go straight to the playoffs
Thomas Chabot is back at home near Quebec City with his family, staying in touch with teammates and ready for whatever scenario presents itself when a decision is made on the NHL season.
The Ottawa Senators defenceman isn’t sure if his team will get the chance to suit up for the final 11 games or whether the league will head straight to the playoffs once NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, deputy commissioner Bill Daly, the owners and the NHL Players’ Association determine which way they’re going to proceed after the worldwide threat of the novel coronavirus has passed.
“We’ve been trying to stay away from people, trying to stay healthy and I’ve kept on working out trying to keep the body moving by going for walks every day and stuff like that,” Chabot told reporters in a video conference call Thursday afternoon. “It’s been going really well.
“It’s a situation that changes (daily) with all the news we get. Hopefully, we get the chance to play again, but whether we are or not I’m still trying to do a little something here by going for runs or rollerblading or working out in my basement. I’m lucky enough to have a little setup downstairs so I’ve been doing a little bit every day just to keep the game shape going.”
Several different scenarios have been discussed in terms of how the NHL could return and the league is considering its options. Since it sounds like physical distancing is going to continue for awhile, it’s possible games could be played in empty rinks for television and at neutral sites.
The PGA Tour announced a new schedule Thursday that will begin in mid-June with no fans and the NHL is willing to play through July, August and September.
Chabot said the players have to be prepared for anything to happen.
“It would be fine if you can get back and playing the game,” Chabot said. “It would be a situation you’re not used to with having no fans in the stands but at that point, it would just be something that guys would be willing to do.
“Playing hockey would just be fun. Getting back on the ice and back in the locker-room with the guys. Everything has been kind of different and kind of weird with this situation but if it comes to this point, I’d be happy to do it.”
If the season is indeed over, Chabot said he feels the Senators made progress under first-year coach D.J. Smith and was pleased with what he has seen from the players brought up from Belleville.
“It was huge for us to see younger guys called up (from the AHL) who had a really good impact on the team, who really showed that they could play and wanted to stay,” Chabot said. “The team in Belleville was having a great year, but it was fun to see the younger guys coming in and showing they want to be part of the success that we’re going to have later on. That was big for us.
“D.J. and the coaching staff have been huge for us. We’re a young group of guys and we’re still learning. Some nights it’s going to go well and some nights it’s not, but this is all part of the plan and we had the coaching staff ’s support all year. They were trying to get us to change our identity in never giving up and we’ve shown that plenty of times during the season. That’s something we’ve got to keep building on.”
Chabot has been keeping a close eye on the COVID-19 situation because the Senators were one of the teams that was hit hard by the virus. The Senators had five players, a staff member and TSN 1200 broadcaster Gord Wilson contract confirmed cases of coronavirus.
“I’m following it every day,” Chabot said. “Now that we’re in Quebec I’m taking all the advice that we can get. I’m still taking it very seriously. It’s something that everybody should take seriously because it’s a big thing.
“Luckily the guys that were affected by it are all feeling really well and they’re all recovered. That’s a great sign for us. Once the virus started, we all followed the rules that we were told to do. We’ve been trying to stay safe and stay healthy. You’ve got to watch every little thing you do but it’s been fine so far.”
When he’s not watching the news or working out, Chabot has been doing puzzles with his girlfriend, playing cards with his family or watching Netflix. Yes, he’s watched Tiger King and is now finishing up the final season of Money Heist.
So, if Chabot could be quarantined with one teammate, who would it be?
“I’d probably go with Brady (Tkachuk) since we’re roommates on the road,” Chabot said. “We kind of know our sleeping schedules and we want to have our own free time and not talk to each other in the room.”
Naturally, he was asked jokingly who he’d like to avoid.
“That’s a tough question but I think I’ll go with Colin White because we were roommates the year before and he loves talking and he loves putting music on,” Chabot said. “Don’t get me wrong, I love talking to him, but I’ll answer him for the sake of the question, because he’s going to laugh at it.”