[News] Flames have 20 players, 3 coaches, and 10 support staff in COVID protocol

[tvp2003]

Whew.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1472236644031885314

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Icantwhisper

Instead of us always playing the victim maybe we should be happy that it doesn’t appear any players will have to miss games yet. Other teams have had to carry on without significant pieces (marchant, kutznetzov come to mind) we pretend we’re the only team in the league that gets an extended break that could disrupt our mojo.
We complain about playing too many games and are already making excuses for a game we haven’t played yet, some of us are never happy

First off I hear you.

We all point to other fan bases whining and hardly realize we do it too.

And I also agree that Calgary was lucky in that they had the whole thing shut down instead of having to soldier on.

Things that I think one can complain about ...

- the start. Why did the Flames start so late in an Olympic (condensed) season when they didn't have a curling bonspiel or building being finished etc

- the actual schedule. Calgary by most analytics had a really rough first quarter of the season compared to most teams

- rivalry. It's above board to whine when circumstances give your chief rival the leg up in a direct game. The Flames playing Edmonton with no games before to start the season was tough. Potentially facing the same thing coming out of the covid mess is pretty annoying.

So agreed ... but these are hockey fans, they don't have to be objective!

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Just waiting for the entire league to shut down until the New Year.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1472227626152611846

[KootenayFlamesFan]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1472251681479880704

[Zamboniman]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

Whew.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1472236644031885314

Well of course no one else has tested positive. There's almost nobody left to do so!

[Zamboniman]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

https://twitter.com/user/status/1472251681479880704

Just split the league into the COVID division and the non-COVID division, and all the covid teams can play each other in their own infected covid saturated bubble!

What could possibly be the downside?

[DiracSpike]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1472100057365159941

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Sure they don't get sick... But they can infect others and if you are covid positive you have a legal and ethical obligation to isolate to not spread a potentially deadly disease to others who are not the "fittest people on the planet."

The argument that they should be still allowed to play games when they are covid positive is completely based in foolishness. I guess this explains why I don't go to the Flames for my annual checkup but instead talk to a real life doctor who has studied medicine

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

Sure they don't get sick... But they can infect others and if you are covid positive you have a legal and ethical obligation to isolate to not spread a potentially deadly disease to others who are not the "fittest people on the planet."

The argument that they should be still allowed to play games when they are covid positive is completely based in foolishness. I guess this explains why I don't go to the Flames for my annual checkup but instead talk to a real life doctor who has studied medicine

Well the testing protocol for these players is quite different than it is for almost everyone else on the planet.

If the goal is protecting the general population why isn't check out guy at walmart tested just as often. Or people playing recreational sports. Or teachers. Or nurses.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Well the testing protocol for these players is quite different than it is for almost everyone else on the planet.

If the goal is protecting the general population why isn't check out guy at walmart tested just as often. Or people playing recreational sports. Or teachers. Or nurses.

I guess the big concern is a group of athletes travelling to different locations across the continent may be exposed to different risk factors than others. As a nurse we have to do a self declaration before each shift for symptoms of covid and aren't allowed to go into work if we are having any symptoms.

The fact that roughly 10% of the league has covid indicates to me that they should be getting tested. If 10% of the Canadian population had covid we would have 3 million cases right now.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

I guess the big concern is a group of athletes travelling to different locations across the continent may be exposed to different risk factors than others. As a nurse we have to do a self declaration before each shift for symptoms of covid and aren't allowed to go into work if we are having any symptoms.

The fact that roughly 10% of the league has covid indicates to me that they should be getting tested. If 10% of the Canadian population had covid we would have 3 million cases right now.

IMO someone who is triple vaxxed should not have to be tested that often, it just doesn't make sense to me. I hear you on them traveling around, but IMO that is less of a risk factor than attending an indoor sporting event in the stands. Those people don't get tested.

The NHL Covid protocols have tried to implement the idea of a "corridor" while traveling instead of a bubble. They should get a little serious on that front.

Considering people are generally positive before exhibiting symptoms, self declaration is really just for show. Who really knows how many Covid cases we have right now.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

IMO someone who is triple vaxxed should not have to be tested that often, it just doesn't make sense to me. I hear you on them traveling around, but IMO that is less of a risk factor than attending an indoor sporting event in the stands. Those people don't get tested.

The NHL Covid protocols have tried to implement the idea of a "corridor" while traveling instead of a bubble. They should get a little serious on that front.

Considering people are generally positive before exhibiting symptoms, self declaration is really just for show. Who really knows how many Covid cases we have right now.

The current number of cases says otherwise

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

The current number of cases says otherwise

I expect that by January most pro sports will be reducing their testing protocols for fully vaccinated people.

I obviously have no clue how this latest wave is going to play out and I definitely lean towards the optimistic in general on these things. I just don't see the sense in treating this group of people so much differently than others who face even greater risks of exposure.

Play hockey, get tested constantly.
Go to hockey game and no masks because everyone is eating and drinking, never get tested.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

Sure they don't get sick... But they can infect others and if you are covid positive you have a legal and ethical obligation to isolate to not spread a potentially deadly disease to others who are not the "fittest people on the planet."

The argument that they should be still allowed to play games when they are covid positive is completely based in foolishness. I guess this explains why I don't go to the Flames for my annual checkup but instead talk to a real life doctor who has studied medicine

If they stopped testing, no one would have to isolate. Problem solved. If no one in the general public is isolating or taking precautions to stop the spread, if governments have no restrictions, then why should sports? I’m speaking more in the US and Alberta. Obviously Eastern Canada and BC have recently increased restrictions but that won’t last.

This is where it’s going. The only reason leagues/teams are doing this is for optics and because of government mandates. They need to put on a good show so they could play and not be seen as ignoring the pandemic.

Pretty soon one of the major sports will eliminate testing or let positive players return to action if they’re asymptomatic, probably the nfl. Then everyone else will follow.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Looks like the Canucks are going to be cancelling some games now.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1472274038957678592

https://twitter.com/user/status/1472276713128153089

[transplant99]

Hard to see the league carrying on much longer with so many games being called off.

I can see them pulling the plug after todays games til after Christmas, then using the time booked off for the Olympics to get games played and everyone at least close to even before the trade deadline.

[FormerPresJamesTaylor]

Yup, hopefully the Olympic break is no re-scheduled game time

[KootenayFlamesFan]

There's not going to be many games left to postpone.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1472284091840180230

[heep223]

It’s hard to see right now but Covid is basically over with the emergence of Omicron - a highly transmissible but very mild variant that will crowd out the more severe, less transmissible strains. Pfizer has already created a vaccine specific to it and doing trials in January, but they’re “not sure it’s needed”. This is honestly incredible and completely unprecedented in human history, omicron was discovered a few weeks ago. And we now have the infrastructure to distribute the vaccines quickly. If a more scary variant comes out we can neutralize it with vaccine in a hurry.

My biggest concern is that this is going to become increasingly politicized and we’re still going to be stuck with exceedingly burdensome and unnecessary restrictions. Pro sports leagues need to do the right thing. In this case the right thing is to keep playing, unless teams can’t ice rosters obviously then a pause is required. Go back to no fans if necessary.

This is coming from someone who was very much pro restrictions and took this whole thing very seriously from the beginning, and very much pro vax. Just got my young child vaxxed and proud to do so.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

The whole league is shut down by the end of the week. I'm calling it.

Not far off.