The St. Louis Blues, and the entire world, is waiting to see how the virus situation plays out. Tensions are high as the Anaheim game could affect their health.
At this point it is hard not to think there is some sort of curse surrounding the St. Louis Blues final game of 2019-20 against the Anaheim Ducks. Of course, we all know the first time around, that game featured a heart issue with Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester.
Now, the entire Blues team could potentially be affected by the game that ultimately got replayed. The word potentially cannot be emphasized enough, as right now there are no indications that anything bad has come of it. It is simply a possibility.
The possibility in question is the fact that a currently unnamed player on the Ottawa Senators has tested positive for covid-19, the most current form of the coronavirus. That is important because the Senators were the last team to play in Anaheim prior to the Blues game.
It is concerning enough to share a locker room with a team that you now know may have had an infected player at the time – again, there is no way of knowing he was infected at the time. However, making matters even more tricky is the fact it was a back-to-back scenario.
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The Senators were in that locker room just 12 hour prior to the Blues, perhaps less. You’re standing in the same spaces, touching the same surfaces, using the same showers and sinks.
Basically, you are banking on the fact that the Honda Center staff cleaned everything thoroughly. There is no reason to think they did not, but as someone who has cleaned various things, sometimes you just don’t hit every nook and cranny.
"“In light of a number of factors, including the relevant facts we know as it relates to the (Ottawa) player testing positive, the timelines involved, and the cleaning standards employed pursuant to existing league policies, we do not believe that anyone in the St. Louis Blues’ organization would have been exposed to any increased level of risk for infection as a result of the team’s game in Anaheim on March 11,” Bill Daly via email to Post-Dispatch."
The other odd thing, though understandable, is the odd secrecy surrounding this situation. While the NBA has been fairly forthcoming about players either tested or being infected, the NHL has not informed the public of much.
It is understandable. The player is probably being given time to tell family and friends they have been around since there are symptoms (only mild ones).
Really, the odd part is nobody seeming to be letting anyone know where they’re at. According to the Post-Dispatch article on this subject, nobody knows if Robert Thomas is still staying with the Tkachuk family or has gone home to Canada. Nobody knows if Brady Tkachuk, who plays on the Senators, is in Ottawa or come home to St. Louis.
These are not things the public HAS to know, by any means. However, hopefully the Blues know.
The players need to stay on top of how they feel. If Thomas is still rooming with the Tkachuk’s and Brady is there, they must all be aware of their health.
For athletes, their physical well being seems to have kept most symptoms at bay from many of the positive cases in different sports. Nevertheless, there is still quite a bit unknown about all of this.
If the NHL is to resume, they need to know where players are and whether they have any issues. I believe the league is keeping on top of this, but it goes back to that age-old frustration hockey fans have with the upper-body/lower-body injury thing.
Being kept in the dark is no fun, even if there is no concrete need to know on our part. Here’s wishing good health to all involved in that situation and to all of you.