Given the fact that the Red Wings have had half-a-dozen players contract or be closely associated with someone who had the coronavirus, enough to put them on the COVID reserve, Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill is aware of the holes in the NHL’s coronavirus prevention measures, and Blashill discussed some of the issues he feels need addressing with the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan:
The Wings likely contracted the virus playing Carolina on the season-opening weekend (Jan. 14-16), as the Hurricanes saw their schedule paused the next week after a slew of confirmed cases.
Nobody was, or is to blame, said coach Jeff Blashill, who feels the NHL and individual clubs are doing all they can in a monstrous fight.
“That’s just the reality of testing being delayed, it’s really hard to avoid (contracting the virus),” Blashill said. “It didn’t spread with our team any more than that. We’ve enforced protocols that have been in place to make sure we mitigate any further spreading. Our staff and players did a real good job.”
Playing hockey inside in a rink, said Blashill, has its owns unique issues during this pandemic.
“The problem with hockey is we played in a rink where the humidity is dry and the air is cool, and my understanding, with the research I’ve done, that potentially lets that virus sit right there in the air and it doesn’t dissipate,” Blashill said.
“So one team has it and you play a game, it’s hard. You don’t get an instant (test) result that is reliable. The fact that games are getting postponed is unfortunate, but from our perspective we just got to keep trying do the best we can with the protocols.”
