Positive test
Sweeney talks return process and praises team for social activism
An unidentified member of the Bruins initially tested positive for COVID-19
The Bruins announced on Friday that one of their players tested positive for COVID-19 prior to participating in the limited, voluntary workout sessions currently under way at the Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton.
According to the club, the player is asymptomatic and subsequently has undergone two more tests which were negative.
GM Don Sweeney did not get into many specifics, but said that there is a period of quarantine required, based on the CDC and league guidelines. The player who tested positive, as well as players identified in the contract tracing process, have not used the facility and will not be able to until next week, provided tests are negative.
The workouts (Phase 2 of the league’s Return To Play plan) began around the league on Monday. It allows for no more than six players on the ice at a time with social distancing measures adhered to, as well as required testing before accessing the facility.
“Everybody’s learning how we properly interact and distance and react to the original test results that we receive,” said Sweeney. “When we get to the daily testing later in the process we’ll be able to eliminate some of the possibilities. There are possibilities associated with a singular positive test and we are learning about those things.”
In accordance with league guidelines, the Bruins have hired a facility hygiene officer, Kathleen Saunders, to oversee all aspects of maintaining health and safety at the B’s digs at Warrior. Sweeney said the club is realizing the enormity of the process.
“It’s an all-encompassing process in terms of opening the facility. There are a lot of protocols,” said Sweeney.
“It’s certainly challenging and when you start to increase the numbers there’s going to be more effort on everybody’s (part) with the sanitization of equipment, masks, things that are not natural and becoming more and more natural in recent days. They’re going to have to be adhered to from Day 1 if we’re going to get an opportunity to move on.”
Due to the voluntary nature of the workouts, Sweeney did not give out the number of players who have been in attendance, though the team released photos of Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand skating on Wednesday.
Sweeney said that conversations about the mobilization process to get players back who returned to Europe and Canada have begun. David Pastrnak, Jakub Zboril and Daniel Vladar went back to the Czech Republic, while Joakim Nordstrom and Anton Blidh went back to Sweden, where a lockdown approach was not used by officials.
The league announced on Thursday that training camps will open on July 10, “provided the medical and safety conditions allow and the parties have reached an agreement on resuming play,” according to a joint NHL/NHLPA statement.
Given the length of time players have been off the ice — the league shutdown came on March 12 — Sweeney said a cautious approach is being taken.
“We’re not going to jump right into the deep end,” said Sweeney. “We have to have a progression.”
On other subjects, Sweeney addressed the actions of two of his team leaders, Zdeno Chara and Bergeron, amid the civil unrest stemming from the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis. Zdeno Chara marched in a protest last week and Bergeron donated $50,000 to the NAACP and a civil rights organization in his home province of Quebec.
“From an organizational standpoint and a personal standpoint, I applaud each and every players’ individual efforts in their own lives. It’s outside the realm of hockey, but they’re human beings and they’re reacting very, very well from the standpoint of humanity,” said Sweeney.
“I was reading an article this morning on Anson Carter and Trevor Daley, guys who I played who are are maybe going to have a higher profile. I applaud each and every player and their individual efforts and support and they have the complete backing of the Boston Bruins if they want to be more socially available in that regard to comment and voice their opinions, and in Zdeno’s case support a protest and march with people.”
Sweeney also said there’s also been no movement with any upcoming free agents, the most prominent one being Torey Krug.
While it’s expected that the salary cap will remain flat, Sweeney said there’s too much uncertainty right now.
“We haven’t done anything concrete, but we’ve done some planning accordingly,” said Sweeney.