Press release: NHL, NHLPA modify COVID protocols

Per the NHLPA:

NHL AND NHLPA AGREE TO MODIFY COVID PROTOCOL

NEW YORK/TORONTO (Dec. 29, 2021) – The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) announced today a modification to their COVID-19 Protocol. The modification will reduce the isolation period after a positive test from 10 days to five days for fully vaccinated Players who meet the required conditions. It also applies to fully vaccinated Hockey Operations staff, including coaches. The change was made in response to the new isolation guidelines for COVID-positive individuals issued on Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While the changes apply on a League-wide basis, all personnel will still have to comply with the applicable health and safety regulations in their jurisdictions, including the Federal and Provincial COVID health and safety mandates in Canada, which may be more restrictive than the Protocol.

Specifics of the changes to the Protocol after a positive test include:

·        Isolate for five days;

·        If the individual has a fever, continue to isolate until their fever resolves;

·        If the individual has no symptoms or their symptoms are resolving after five days, they can leave isolation and return to practices and games, provided the following conditions are met:

o   A lab-based PCR test that is negative, or a lab-based PCR test that has a CT value >30, or two negative molecular point of care tests collected >2 hours apart; and,

o   Medical clearance from the individual’s Club physician; and,

o   Such exit is permitted by their local health authority.

o   The individual shall continue to always wear a mask around others for five additional days, other than for practices and games.

All other aspects of the Protocol remain in place.

The NHL’s and NHLPA’s medical experts will re-evaluate these measures on or before Jan. 12.

Red Wings reassign Witkowski, Brattstrom to Grand Rapids

Per the Red Wings on Twitter:

Khan’s notebook: Wings attempt to regain ‘game shape’

MLive’s Ansar Khan filed a notebook article regarding the comments made by coach Jeff Blashill and forward Sam Gagner after today’s optional practice at Little Caesars Arena, noting that the Wings’ near-two-week layoff will require some readjusting to game situations:

“When you’ve been off an awful long time, your defensive habits aren’t as good,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “It’s just like when you don’t practice much your defensive habits aren’t as good. So now you got a whole league whose defensive habits aren’t quite there. That’s why I believe at the beginning of every year scores are higher than they are at the end of the year.

“When you’re off for a long period of time, things can be chaotic. You just lose your structure, you lose your habits, but your offensive hands can still produce.”

Gagner said attention to detail can be off after a lengthy layoff.

“You’re focused on your conditioning level and getting back and getting your timing and sometimes those little intricacies of the game take a little bit of time to get back,” he said. “We’re going to have an opportunity to practice a couple of times as a (nearly full) team and do some special teams and team play, and hopefully we come out for our first game ready to go.”

Barring any further postponements, the Red Wings’ next three games will be at home, where they are 11-3-2, significantly better than their road record (4-10-1).

Continued

Monroe: Toledo Walleye coach Dan Watson will coach in the ECHL All-Star Game

Good news from the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe:

Toledo Walleye coach Dan Watson has been selected as one of the coaches in the 2022 ECHL All-Star Classic.

This is the third time that Watson will be coaching in an ECHL All-Star game after being behind the bench for the 2017 and 2019 events.

Watson will coach alongside Newfoundland coach Eric Wellwood at the event on Jan. 22 in Jacksonville, Fla.

“I am really looking forward to this wonderful opportunity to coach a tremendous roster of players and to work with another great coach in Eric Wellwood of Newfoundland,” Watson said. “A lot of the credit for this goes to the [Walleye] players and staff for what we have accomplished so far this year.”

Continued

NHL.com’s Rosen: Seider’s been the Wings’ best rookie

NHL.com’s Dan Rosen filed his Wednesday mailbag feature, and in said article, he discusses the Red Wings’ best rookie thus far:

If only one Red Wings player could be considered for the Calder Trophy, who would you pick thus far: Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Alex Nedeljkovic? — @AmadoDesperado

Seider has to be the favorite for the Calder Trophy given to the player voted NHL rookie of the year. A 20-year-old defensemen averaging 22:26 of ice time per game with 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) in his first 31 NHL games is rare and should be celebrated. Raymond, a forward, has been dynamic with 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists), but I’m going to side with the defenseman if it’s close because he must play more and handle more responsibilities, including shorthanded situations. Raymond, through no fault of his own, doesn’t play on the penalty kill. 

Seider plays with confidence and swagger. He’s good, and maybe the best thing about him is he knows it and doesn’t shy away from it. Seider projects to be for the Red Wings what Victor Hedman is for the Tampa Bay Lightning, what Roman Josi is for the Nashville Predators, what Cale Makar is for the Colorado Avalanche, what Adam Fox is for the New York Rangers and what Drew Doughty is for the Los Angeles Kings.

Continued; I’d give the nod to Raymond by a nose, but Seider is definitely learning to master a harder position to play.

Tweet of note from DailyFaceoff’s Seravalli: NHL reduces quarantine period for COVID positive players…who test negative

FYI:

NEWS: #NHL has officially shortened isolation period to 5 days with a negative test – IF allowed by local health authorities.#NHL now in line with CDC guidelines, according to memo distributed to teams today which was obtained by @DailyFaceoff.

Here’s the updated protocol ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/XLp9Ghq0va— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) December 29, 2021

Per new CDC guidelines, NHL/NHLPA have agreed to possibility of vaccinated individuals leaving isolation five days after a positive COVID test if they have no symptoms or “symptoms are resolving.” Key phrase: “providing such exit is permitted by your local health authority”…— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) December 29, 2021

NHL changing its standard isolation requirement from 10 days to 5 days, sources tell ESPN.

Players can exit after 5 days if they are asymptomatic & test negative — as long as local health authorities OK it.

More details from the memo the NHL sent today⬇️https://t.co/coXFJotXN8— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) December 29, 2021

WJC: Viro’s Finns ‘win’ forfeited game by Czechia at World Junior Championship due to COVID issue

This is very unfortunate:

BREAKING: @narodnitym to miss game against @leijonat due to a mandated team quarantine.

More at https://t.co/iJM9Sx2g9q#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/gCSqp62izJ— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) December 29, 2021

One CZE player tested positive overnight. Therefore, due to close contact/IIHF Covid protocols, entire CZE team goes into 24 hour quarantine/two-test phase. Therefore, CZE assessed 1-0 forfeit loss to FIN for today’s game.— Bobby Margarita (@TSNBobMcKenzie) December 29, 2021