False-positive test serves as `wake-up call'
Canucks know this season is not normal; other teams are dealing with worse
Bo Horvat called it good timing for a wake-up call.
Quinn Hughes said it was a stark reminder of rules.
And Nate Schmidt addressed it as a classic case of adaptability.
No matter how the Vancouver Canucks labelled a COVID-19 scare Sunday morning that caused the NHL team to cancel practice at Rogers Arena, Monday's revelation that a player had a false positive test was further proof that a condensed 2020-21 NHL season will be far from normal. Abnormal is the new normal. “You don't want this to happen to your team or any players and it was a little bit of a wake-up call for everybody — just to keep following the proper protocols and keep everyone safe,” Horvat said Monday following practice. “Luckily, we were told it was a false positive and I'm glad this happened now rather than later on. I'm just happy everybody is safe.”
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Monday that players and staff will have to wait in line to be vaccinated — no butting in as professional athletes, executives of privilege or other team members — and how the Canucks and rivals conduct themselves in the coming days, weeks and months will determine whether a 56-game season will be paused less often or more frequently by COVID-19 with game postponements.
Hughes was running late Sunday morning and tried to squeeze in breakfast before a 9:45 a.m. team meeting. He was told by assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner that there was a little bit of a COVID scare. So, they had breakfast and, like everyone else, awaited a second test for a negative reading on the player in question.
“The message is that it's a good warning that we've got to be wearing our masks and taking it seriously and we were lucky no one actually had it,” Hughes said. “There are things we're going to have to sacrifice if we want to play. There's no bubble, so we have to rely on everybody being professional and staying out of places we shouldn't be in.
“We're out of quarantine, but that doesn't mean we should be eating out every meal. I'm trying to stay home as much as I can and keep my mask on and follow the rules. Everyone is doing a good job of it."
Like other clubs that competed in the 2019-20 post-season, the Canucks were immersed in the safe and restrictive Edmonton bubble last summer. Boredom became the norm, but there were no positive test cases during their run of a qualifying round and the long grind toward coming within a victory of advancing to the Western Conference final.
Horvat had 10 post-season goals and his daily trek to the Tim Hortons truck outside the team hotel was a brief oasis from the monotonous treadmill existence.
“Honestly, it was the highlight of our day to go get a Timmy's coffee at the truck and just sit and chat,” Horvat said. “There wasn't much to do in the bubble.” Except stay safe and healthy. Fast-forward and the landscape has changed dramatically.
On Friday, 17 members of the Columbus Blue Jackets were held out of practice for COVID-19 caution and most returned the following day. On Saturday, the Penguins cancelled their practice for the same concerns, while the Stars confirmed Friday that six players and two staff members had tested positive.
It means the Stars' opening two games against the Panthers in Florida on Thursday and Friday have been postponed. And it
could also mean the second wave of COVID-19 will continue to surge following the holiday season because numbers are spiking again.
“It's going to happen, things like this (Sunday) with an inconclusive false positive,” Schmidt said. “It sucks. But you can't be naive and think things like this aren't going to happen. It would have been great to practice Sunday and have a little bit of a scrimmage.”
Now it's having a Plan A, Plan B and probably a Plan C.
Travis Green is like his players. The Canucks' head coach is a creature of habit. He likes order. He likes to get certain things accomplished every practice to properly prepare his team — especially with a short training camp and no exhibition games before opening the season Wednesday in Edmonton.
Add COVID-19 awareness to the equation and being tested every day is no guarantee that the coach and his players won't have to learn to pivot through what could be a disjointed season.
“Our team hasn't gone through a lot of scenarios with COVID,” Green said. “We found out Sunday and made the (no practice) decision just before they sent the release out. We didn't know at the time if it was a false positive or not and we wanted to take the proper precautions. It just felt like it was best we stay off the ice and wait to see.
“We've seen it in other sports and we've already seen it in ours. It's probably going to be this way and a little bit of a wake-up call just to making sure we're doing the right things so the next time it happens, it won't be as big of a surprise.”