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Leagues and Governing Bodies

Hurricanes' Positives May Reveal Flaw In NHL's Testing Plan

Four Hurricanes players, including Jordan Staal (l), tested positive for the virusGETTY IMAGES

Four members of the Hurricanes tested positive for COVID-19, leading to their game against the Predators last night being postponed, and there are "gaps in the NHL’s testing protocol that may cause us to see something like this over and over again,” according to TSN's Frank Seravalli. The Hurricanes were tested on Monday morning, but "you don’t hear the results from those tests for almost a full 24 hours." So they played their game that night against the Predators and then "after the fact found out that four players had tested positive." Asked about the NHL’s protocol yesterday, the league "seems content with how things are going and the cadence of their testing." They believe that this is the "best course of action for them, that players will find out before they return to the rink." But the "thing to point out here is this is exactly what the NBA is not doing." They are "rapid testing their players." Before players can even enter a team facility, they get a "rapid test and if it’s negative then you’re cleared to enter." It "just may be something that the NHL has to consider as they continue to be flexible and nimble down the road” (“Insider Trading, TSN, 1/19).

MORE TESTS? SPORTSNET.ca's Elliotte Friedman asked, "Will the NHL have to consider pre-game rapid testing?" Each organization is "split into different groups for testing purposes." Group 1 includes players; coaches; trainers, while Group 2A is GMs; assistant GMs; and other staff with access to Group 1. These two groups are "given a PCR test every morning." Those are "very reliable -- more accurate than rapid tests -- but take longer to process." Friedman: "Will a second option contain spread in cases where PCR results don’t get back in time for games?" (SPORTSNET.ca, 1/19).

FACING CHALLENGES: In Raleigh, Luke DeCock notes the Hurricanes' season is "unofficially paused" less than a week in, highlighting how the NHL "faces challenges no other league or sport does trying to play through this pandemic." The players "can eat dinner in their rooms, eat breakfast in shifts and spread out as much as they can away from the ice," but "once the puck is dropped, they’re breathing the same air as the guy on either side of them whenever they’re not on the ice." This was "never going to be easy," but that "shouldn’t be and shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 1/20). In Ottawa, Don Brennan notes the NHL has "already postponed five games because of COVID-19 concerns," including the Stars' first four games, which need to be rescheduled. The Hurricanes are scheduled to play at home against the Panthers tomorrow, but it is "hard to imagine they’ll make that date" (OTTAWA SUN, 1/20).

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