The National Hockey League has postponed all Calgary Flames games through at least Dec. 23 as the team deals with a surge in members entering the league’s COVID-19 protocol.
In an update on Twitter Friday morning, the Flames said centre Mikael Backlund and one member of the support staff have entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.
This brings the total number of players who have entered the league’s COVID protocol to 19 as of Friday morning, in addition to several members of the coaching and support staff. The Flames carry 25 players on their roster.
During a virtual media availability Friday afternoon, Flames GM Brad Treliving and head physician Dr. Ian Auld said overall, the group in protocol is doing well.
Auld said most of the cases are mild.
“Overwhelmingly so far, our cases have been asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. We do have a few people — probably anywhere from four to six, and a lot of cases are in evolution so things may change — that would have what I call moderate symptoms. So chills, fever, fatigue, but quite quick — turning the corner within 36, certainly 48 hours.”
Auld said he has been in contact with the provincial laboratory, which is sequencing all positive test results for the Omicron variant. As of Friday, three cases of the variant of concern had been identified, Auld said.
“My anticipation is if there’s three, there’s more, if not all. But that information should be leaking in in the next 48 to 72 hours,” the physician explained.
“I’ve been helping manage this problem for 18 months or so in a hockey-related environment. We’ve had cases before and we’ve had close contacts before and I’ve never seen transmission on this level… It doesn’t require a huge window to move from person to person.”
Treliving said it’s “safe to say that we’ve dealt with some family members,” but wouldn’t speak further to how many of the players’ or staff members’ family members may have come down with COVID-19.
The NHL said the decision to postpone the Flames games was made by the NHL’s, the NHLPA’s and the club medical groups.
“It was the only call that could be made,” Treliving said.
The team’s training facilities also remain closed. Treliving said it’s not yet known when players may be able to return.
“Our priority right now remains monitoring and looking after players, staff, family members, everybody in our group that’s been affected,” he said.
“Competitively, they want to get back. We’re trying to look at this as a bump in the road. We’re going to get through it, we’re going to get on the other side of it.”
Treliving said the team has not determined how or where the outbreak began.
“To sit here and pinpoint exactly a source, I don’t want to speak for Ian (Auld), but we can’t sit here and say, ‘Here’s the ground zero or patient zero or where this took place.’ Obviously the team’s been travelling, this it out there. This is part of, not just the team, but I think all of our lives right now.”
The next game the Flames are scheduled to play is on Dec. 27 at home versus the Edmonton Oilers, who had three players and one coach in COVID-19 protocol as of early Friday afternoon.
The NHL is dealing with a surge in COVID-19 cases, particularly in the last week. As of early Friday afternoon, 20 games have had to be postponed.
The Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers have also been shut down until after the league’s holiday break, “due to concern with the number of positive cases within the last two days as well as concern for continued COVID spread in the coming days.”
The NHL said Friday that the Flames have followed, and will continue to follow, all recommended guidelines “aimed at protecting the health and safety of their players, staff and community at large as set by the NHL, local, state/provincial and federal agencies.”
On Thursday night, the Montreal Canadiens played at Bell Centre with no fans in the stands after Quebec public health officials asked the team to play without fans in their home arena to help slow the spread of the virus.
Ontario has also moved to reintroduced a 50 per cent crowd limit in venues with a capacity of more than 1,000. This affects the arenas in which the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators play.
Also Friday, the Edmonton Oilers announced centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had entered the league’s COVID protocol. The Oilers played at home Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Fellow Oilers teammates Devin Shore and Ryan McLeod, as well as head coach Dave Tippett entered the league’s protocol earlier this week.
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