Canadiens have had COVID-19 concerns all season – Montreal Gazette

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It was a gorgeous spring day Monday in Montreal with the temperature hitting 17.6C.

The warm sunshine delivered some much-needed hope that better days are ahead — at least weather-wise — as we all continue to deal with this COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have to be careful for at least another month to ensure all the vulnerable people are vaccinated,” Quebec Premier François Legault warned on Monday. “Yes the variants are a concern. It’s not time to let down our guard and take unnecessary risks and have contacts. … We also plan for all Quebecers to have a first (vaccination) dose by June 24. We see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“I can understand citizens are fed up with the measures,” Legault added, “but we’re talking about lives, we’re talking about our hospitals being able to continue to treat all kinds of sickness. So we really have to be careful for some weeks.”

Another sign of how careful we still need to be came later in the day when the NHL announced it was postponing Monday night’s game between the Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers at the Bell Centre. On Monday afternoon, the Canadiens’ Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Joel Armia were put on the NHL’s COVID Protocol Related Absences list after both players took part in a morning skate at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard.

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“The decision was made by the league’s, NHLPA’s and club’s medical groups,” the NHL said in a statement Monday after the game was postponed. “The league will provide a further update tomorrow.”

The NHL notes that players can be put on the COVID list for a number of reasons including, among others: “(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol.”

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COVID-19 has been in the back of players’ minds since the season started, but the Canadiens-Oilers game Monday night was the first one postponed this season in the all-Canadian North Division. Thirty-eight games in total have been postponed because of the COVID-19 protocol.

The last time the Oilers played the Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Feb. 11, the start of game was delayed for an hour after Edmonton’s Jesse Puljujarvi was placed in COVID-19 protocol. The delay allowed time to analyze further tests and the game was played, with the Oilers winning 3-0. Puljujarvi was cleared to rejoin team activities two days later.

“You have a family at home, you think about it,” Canadiens defenceman Ben Chiarot said when asked about COVID-19 after that game. “It enters the back of your mind. But you trust that the protocols are in place to keep everyone safe. You have to have faith in those and trust that they wouldn’t put anyone in harm’s way. That’s what you have to believe in.”

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The Canadiens got an earlier COVID-19 scare during a 2-0 loss to the Calgary Flames on Jan. 30 at the Bell Centre when Josh Anderson was sent home after the first period while suffering from “flu-like” symptoms. Anderson tested negative for COVID-19 and returned to play the next game.

Former Canadiens head coach Claude Julien spoke earlier this season about protocols put in place for players’ families.

“A lot of us have kids that go to school and they’re getting tested a couple of times a week as well to make sure that they’re safe and they’re keeping us safe as well,” Julien said. “So they have protocols. Obviously, the families are very respectful of staying away from going inside of stores and all that stuff and ordering online and those kind of things. So it’s really not just the players, it’s the families themselves that are making the sacrifice right now to keep everybody safe and, at the same time, trying to make this pandemic go away as soon as we can.”

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The Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher was asked about COVID-19 concerns before the season started.

“Me, personally, it’s not really too much of a concern,” Gallagher said. “I mean you do everything you’re told to do. You follow the guidelines which they have in place. If you follow those things it’s going to be pretty tough for anything to happen. If it does happen we’ll have to deal with it but, in the meantime, we’re getting prepared to be hockey players here. They’ve got enough doctors around here that are making sure that everything’s sanitized and safe for us and as players can gain confidence in that and hopefully we can get through this thing without any cases. But for us you just put your trust in their hands and do what they say.”

The Canadiens were scheduled to play three straight games against the Oilers this week at the Bell Centre. The other games are slated for Wednesday and Friday.

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