The Winnipeg Jets did not host practice as regularly scheduled on Saturday morning. In fact, the club did not even hold a practice of any sort at all.
Why?
Due to new, league-wide COVID-19 protocol, all clubs are to shut down facilities should a team member or staff person come in contact with someone carrying COVID-19, feel unwell and report to the rink, or have a family member/close contact test positive for COVID-19.
“The Winnipeg Jets have canceled their practice scheduled for today,” a Jets release read. “The decision was made out of an abundance of caution due to potential exposure to COVID-19. There is no further information at this time. There will be no media availability today, and information regarding tomorrow’s schedule will come at a later time.”
A wide-array of potential confirmed positives, suspected/presumed positives, as well as a variety of other causes could have prompted this decision. For instance, should a family member of a player on the Jets experience symptoms and be diagnosed with COVID-19, members of that family would be considered close contacts.
Whether that member is a girlfriend, wife, child, etc. the rules remain in tact no matter the situation. Should someone have needed emergency medical attention at the hospital, there could have been contact tracing in place there. Was Dylan DeMelo present at the birth of his child? Again, there are many unknowns.
With Nikolaj Ehlers earlier testing negative for COVID-19 after felling unwell last week, the Jets’ speedy winger cleared protocol and made it into the lineup for opening night. That earlier scare has since been forgotten, and this new bit of news comes following similar announcements by the Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets and ultimately the shutdown of the Dallas Stars’ facilities and rescheduling of games.
With uncertainty in the air, the Jets would ideally like to get back to practice the sooner the better, but obviously, once all protocols and tests have been passed. A three-game road trip is next on the schedule, with Winnipeg set to head to Toronto on Monday, before taking on the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday and Thursday.
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