DETROIT – Monday night the MLB, MLS, NBA and the NHL made a rare joint statement saying they would restrict access to their locker rooms to protect the players from the spread of the coronavirus.
On Tuesday night the Detroit Red Wings host the Carolina Hurricanes and Local 4′s Jamie Edmonds was at LCA for morning skate.
The morning skate was business as usual, but the pregame interviews were not. The players were seated at a podium and the media wasn’t allowed in the dressing room due to the coronavirus concerns.
“Sports don’t exist in a vacuum and we deal with the stuff going on in the real world. So, our thoughts and prayers are with those dealing with this, just got to stay safe as you can,” Luke Glendening said.
Players and their coach said they’re washing their hands more often than usual and trying to be as cautious as they can. That’s why Justin Abdelkader wasn’t at the rink today.
“He was on the fence on if he could play and we had him stay home,” Head Coach Jeff Blashill said. “So little extra precaution there.”
The media restrictions are currently the only change for the Red Wings but the team has talked about what it would be like to play without fans in attendance.
“I’ve thought about it. We talked about it between the guys. It would be really weird. Full NHL production. Stats people and media people, but no fans. It would be a completely different game,” Dylan Larkin said.
For now neither the NBA nor the MLB plan to postpone games or play them without fans.