A broken foot kept Jonas Brodin out of the Wild's last outdoor game, a 6-1 win over Chicago in the Stadium Series on Feb. 21, 2016, that Brodin watched from the locker room at TCF Bank Stadium.
Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin enters NHL's COVID-19 protocols
Calen Addison will be recalled from AHL Iowa as the team prepares for Saturday's Winter Classic.
December 28, 2021 at 11:35PM
"That was not fun," he said recently. "That was tough to miss that game."
This time Brodin might not even make it to the venue.
The Wild isn't expecting Brodin to suit up for the Winter Classic on Saturday at Target Field after the defenseman tested positive for COVID-19, the third Wild player to be sidelined ahead of the New Year's Day matchup against St. Louis.
Captain Jared Spurgeon and center Joel Eriksson Ek are out with injuries.
"It's disappointing, no question," coach Dean Evason said Tuesday after the Wild practiced at Tria Rink in St. Paul. "He's a huge part of our hockey club and disappointing for him personally, disappointing for us as a group. But there's nothing we can do about it. We go forward."
After skating on Sunday when the Wild reconvened for practice following the holiday break, Brodin missed the next session Monday.
He tested positive that day and then negative twice. The team figured he was negative and sent him home for a maintenance day. But overnight, at 3 a.m. Tuesday, a confirmatory test resulted in another positive and Brodin was placed in the NHL's COVID protocols.
"We hope there's no more," Evason said.
Players who are a confirmed positive case must isolate for at least 10 days, according to NHL rules; someone who is asymptomatic can apply to exit isolation early after testing negative twice in a two-day span. Evason wasn't sure if Brodin was asymptomatic.
Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shortened its recommended isolation period from 10 days to five in asymptomatic cases, the NHL hasn't announced a change to its policy. All Wild players are vaccinated, and those who were eligible received a booster in November.
"The guys are crossing their fingers," defenseman Matt Dumba said Monday. "But I think we're all doing a good job of knowing the opportunity we have and the magnitude of this game. Just keeping ourselves safe and taking the precautions to make it to Saturday."
Earlier this season, Mats Zuccarello, Rem Pitlick and Frederick Gaudreau were shelved by the virus. The team also had three coaches and General Manager Bill Guerin previously in the protocols.
Testing is conducted daily, except on off days and for players who tested positive within 90 days. Results typically come back in 15 to 20 minutes, with the team's head athletic trainer John Worley offering a thumbs-up for a negative outcome.
"It's a little unnerving when you're kind of in that waiting period to see if there's going to be some positive tests," defenseman Alex Goligoski said Monday. "You see there's so many around the league. We've been lucky around here so far, but it almost feels like a matter of time before something happens. But you're just kind of crossing your fingers and trying to stay out of the way of this thing as much as you can."
Like the Wild, the Blues have also been affected by COVID-19 and currently have five players out.
With Brodin unavailable, the Wild will call up defenseman Calen Addison from Iowa in the American Hockey League, Evason said, and decide on a few other additions as well as work out a taxi squad, which the NHL reinstated on Sunday.
Although Brodin grew up in Sweden next to an outdoor rink, he said last week he's never played a game outside.
Brodin didn't even sneak out to the rink for the Stadium Series game, getting in a workout inside. He was excited for the Winter Classic.
"It's an amazing experience," Evason said. "To not be able to be part of that, I'm sure it's extremely disappointing for him and disappointing for us as a group."
Schedule change
The Wild's Jan. 10 game at Winnipeg has been postponed because of attendance restrictions and will be rescheduled later in the season.
On Monday, the Jets announced no fans would be allowed at games until at least Jan. 11 after Manitoba limited large gatherings.
Stanley Cup, NHL trophies at MOA
The NHL will display the Stanley Cup and its 20 major trophies on Wednesday and Thursday at the north atrium of the Mall of America in advance of Saturday's Winter Classic.
Those trophies are the Ross (leading scorer), Masterton (perseverance and sportsmanship), Calder (top rookie), Campbell Bowl (Western Conference champion), Smythe (playoff MVP), Selke (top defensive forward), Hart (MVP), Adams (top coach), Norris (top defenseman), Gregory (top GM), Clancy (humanitarian), Lady Byng (gentlemanly conduct), Messier (leadership), Richard (top goal scorer), Presidents Trophy (top record), Prince of Wales (Eastern Conference champion), Lindsay (NHLPA's MVP), Vezina (top goalie), Jennings (fewest goals allowed) and O'Ree (community impact).
Trophies will be on display from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. both days, with the Stanley Cup featured from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-8 p.m.
Alex Ovechkin has a broken left fibula and is expected to be out four to six weeks, an injury that pauses the Washington Capitals superstar captain’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record.
