The Vancouver Canucks had 14 players on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list yesterday, but the positive tests won’t end there. Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that there are now more than 20 combined players and coaches that have tested positive. Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports that “more than half” of the Canucks’ players have tested positive and some are in “rough shape.” There is some dispute to the exact number though, as Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province tweets that the number of positive cases is actually under 20.
Despite whether or not the number is above or below 20, things are certainly not going well for the Canucks. The team is still technically scheduled to play on Thursday against the Calgary Flames, but that game (and the one on April 10) are unlikely to be played. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet even spoke last night about a remote possibility that the Canucks don’t play again this season, though that is a worst-case scenario.
Because of this and other situations, the NHL is discussing another playoff bubble according to Friedman. It is “not what anybody wants” according to the Sportsnet insider, but the league is still preparing contingencies.
The COVID protocol list will be updated later this evening and several new names are expected to be added to the Canucks list.
Imagine if they don’t get to play again this year. Wow
I honestly can’t see the players agreeing to a playoff bubble for the entire playoffs. They’ve been pretty adamant about not wanting to be away from the families for that long of a period. They might agree to it for the last four, but not the whole playoffs. I find it interesting that the worse NHL outbreak happens in Canada & they are the ones that have stricter quarantine rules and more restrictions of what you can and can’t do. Still, they get the biggest outbreak.
We are getting close to the point – at least in the USA – where any adult that wants a vaccine can have it. We’re past the point (I think) where a team or a league would take on water for making vaccine available to players and staff. Is the Canucks outbreak a function of the lack of vaccine availability in Canada? Is it because of the Brazilian variant? Is it because players won’t get vaccinated? Just bad luck?
Whatever the case, this feels unique. No other team in any sport has had COVID rip through a locker room like this, and very few athletes have been crushed by it. There has to be a story to tell here – either a public health story or a hockey team story. In the meantime, my son is a pretty solid bantam defenseman, and he is strapping on his skates in case he’s called into action.
It is evidently because of the Brazilian variant. Also hitting Michigan. Not good.
Once they contain it (in the Canucks’ dressing room), though, even if they have to dress the Utica Comets or David Ayres’ beer league team, the NHL has to finish the schedule.
No forfeits. They still have a chance to pull off a credible season.
Could the canucks skip one game with each North division team ?