Canucks: Healthy again, Myers and Motte are eager to get back into action.

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When it comes to COVID-19, the mood around the NHL is shifting toward confusion, at least.

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A week ago, Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman He criticized league protocols that removed players with mild symptoms or even those who were asymptomatic from COVID-19 out of the lineup.

“I don’t see it as a threat to his health at the moment,” he said. He did not mention public health.

Until about 10 days ago, NHL teams were tested every three days for COVID-19, a strategy designed to detect positive cases before they cause an outbreak that affects the entire team and their families. But circumstances have changed. The rules were designed with the Delta variant in mind.

Delta has been replaced by the Omicron variant, which is proving to be much more infectious but also appears to affect most vaccinated people much less severely. As a result, the NHL returned to daily testing, which has knocked out more than 130 players according to league protocols.

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To date, they have all had mild symptoms or no symptoms, unlike last year, before vaccines were widely available, when several players suffered severe outcomes, including the Canucks’ own Brandon Sutter, who is dealing with symptoms of Long duration.

The Canucks had six players – Tyler Myers, Tyler Motte, Luke Schenn, Juho Lammikko, Brad Hunt and Tucker Poolman – on the COVID-19 list last week, in addition to assistant coach Jason King. Schenn was the first to test positive and said last week that he was told his infection was the Omicron variant.

All seven participated in a practice Sunday at Rogers Arena, their first skating since last Tuesday when the NHL put the entire league on hiatus three days before the scheduled Christmas break. Alex Chiasson, however, tested positive for COVID-19 using a less reliable rapid test and was sent home to await the results of a PCR test.

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For his part, Myers said he largely agreed with Yzerman’s point.

“I think it was okay,” Myers said. “I fully understand that there is another side, where there are people who, if not themselves, have relatives who are more vulnerable to what is happening around the world right now.

“Everyone is in a different situation. I think the most frustrating thing as players is seeing what other sports leagues are doing. And we seem to be heading in the opposite direction. I think it’s a bit confusing for us.

“I think the only thing we can do as players is, I’ve said it before, focus on the things that we can control. Just make sure we’re ready when it’s time to go back. “

Both Myers and Motte had COVID-19 this past April, when almost the entire Canucks squad was infected by the Gamma variant. Some had severe symptoms, Motte said he suffered from a “brain fog” similar to a concussion, but this time, the symptoms were very mild.

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“Chest congestion, runny nose, cold symptoms. Pretty smooth, didn’t feel too bad. I’ve played worse, ”Myers said. In retrospect, he had his worst symptoms on December 16, when the Canucks beat the San Jose Sharks 5-2 in San Jose.

He played 12:54 pm that night, a game after playing nearly 30 minutes against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Canucks Blue Line was unstaffed both nights.

Catching COVID again was frustrating, Motte said, although she actually only had a dry cough this time, she said.

“I will let the doctors and the league talk about the protocols, I am not qualified or educated to make a strong statement on that,” he added. “I only know the guys in the room and from what I’ve heard across the league, the guys want to play as many games as we can. If that means downplaying some guys, if that means working with protocols to get more bodies here, whatever that is, we’re committed to playing. And that’s all we want to do. “

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The Canucks were supposed to return to action Monday at Rogers Arena against Kraken, but the NHL postponed all games scheduled for December 27. That means five straight games have now been postponed for the Canucks, including four before Christmas.

The Canucks are on a six-game winning streak and were eager to keep the hot streak going before the league halted their schedule.

“I think we are still a very optimistic group. You can tell the guys, even coming off the break, are very motivated to keep going, ”Myers said of the mood in practice.

“I’m just trying to get on our legs,” he added. For some it had been a few days without skating, and others like him, more than a week.

Motte said he hoped they would be back right away, with no further disruption to their schedule.

“We would play every day if we could. Obviously an unfortunate pause, with Christmas and also the COVID situation, “he said. “The guys are excited to get this going and we hope we continue without further disruption.”

Head coach Bruce Boudreau joked that the energy in practice was good, although the execution of passes and the like showed a lot of rust. He knew he would have to be patient, even if that wasn’t instinctive to him.

“Yeah, patience is not a good Bruce virtue,” he joked.

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ICE CHUNKS – The Canucks used rapid tests on Sunday, as they did not do their daily round of COVID-19 PCR testing on Christmas Day. Some other teams in the league, such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, have been using rapid tests on a regular basis in addition to the league-mandated PCR tests, but the Canucks haven’t used them before. … Motte took to social media on Christmas Day to highlight the mental health challenges this time of year can present, suggesting that people consult the Canadian Mental Health Association for resources. “Trying to really keep the conversation going, mental health doesn’t have a seasonal view,” he said. He spent Christmas alone, he said, and felt he should reach out to others to share his message. “I thought it was an opportunity for people who are struggling right now to know that they are not alone and that there are ways to help each other.”

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