Travis Green on his battle with COVID-19
After his `trying' experience with COVID-19, Canucks coach urges public to listen to experts
The list of people relieved to see Travis Green on the ice on Saturday, and later on Zoom, probably can't be counted.
It's been a difficult few weeks for the Vancouver Canucks head coach. Like most of his players, he caught the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 earlier this month. But unlike most of his charges, he had a rough go.
“You don't want to get this, I want to say that personally. It wasn't easy at times and it's not a joke,” Green said Saturday.
Green and his players dealt with the variant first identified in Brazil (P.1), which is roughly 21/2 times more contagious, the team confirmed this week.
“There was a point where I was worried about our players a lot and then I was pretty sick, and worried more about getting through each day. Selfishly my focus turned to myself a bit, and (I was) getting a little bit worried,” he said of dealing with his infection alone in his Olympic Village condo as his family lives year-round in Southern California.
Green also took a moment to urge the public to buckle down on wearing a mask and adhere to social distancing rules.
“Listen to the health authorities. I know we're getting into this pretty long now. It's not time to loosen things up yet. You don't want to get this. I can say that personally.
It wasn't easy. It's not a joke.”
Green was feeling poorly enough earlier this week that he wasn't sure he'd be able to coach this weekend.
“It was important for me personally (to be back). There's a lot of people that have gone through a lot and are coming back to play, I wanted to make sure I was there,” Green said, his voice noticeable raspy. “The last few weeks have been trying, for sure.”
“It's been real important to have these extra days of practice. We've needed it physically and mentally. The human side of this is the most important part . ... You worry about the players and their families.
“From personal experience going through this, you've got a lot of people that aren't around you that are worried about you.”
Brandon Sutter said it was good to have his coach back.
“It was good to see him back out there yelling at us,” he joked.
Sutter was one of the players who struggled with the virus, but said he was feeling much better.
“If I moved I felt lightheaded. I pretty much had 10 different symptoms. It's a crazy thing I've never felt before. I'm thankful my kids and wife are getting through it now. It's a worldwide pandemic that got hold of us,” Sutter said.
His wife, who is pregnant, and his two children, ages two and four, all tested positive.
“When you test positive your fear and stress sets in that they're going to get it,” Sutter said. “Luckily I had it the worst of the four of us.”
Sutter said it was important that J.T. Miller spoke on behalf his teammates the way he did last Wednesday. As players were slowing getting back on the ice, they were realizing how behind the eight-ball they were.
“There was a lot of, `Guys, I don't know about this,'” Sutter said. They collaboratively made their voices heard.
“Pretty proud of us as a group and the NHL to make changes,” he said. “It's something that we needed . ... The extra two days we got is huge. Everyone feels way more comfortable now than we did two days ago.”
The Canucks' COVID-19 protocol list is down to just two names — Jake Virtanen and Nate Schmidt, who were the last two members of the team to test positive for COVID-19 — but Green said Tyler Motte, Thatcher Demko and Olli Juolevi had not recovered enough and would not be options to play when the team returns Sunday.
Eight defencemen and 13 forwards were able to skate in Saturday's practice.
Tanner Pearson was likely part of that group, but it's uncertain whether he'll be healthy enough to return to action on Sunday. He injured his leg March 17 against the Ottawa Senators but said earlier this week he was ready to return to the ice.
Elias Pettersson, on the other hand, remains out with an upper-body injury, believed to be his hand or wrist.
General manager Jim Benning said Friday that Pettersson was still being treated by a specialist and didn't give a timeline for his return.