The Detroit Red Wings, already shut down through the Christmas break because of COVID-19, added two players to the swelling ranks of those in protocol Tuesday.
Forward Adam Erne and defenseman Jordan Oesterle, and an unidentified member of the support staff, were placed in COVID-19 protocol, joining a group that has surged over the past week. Since Dec. 15, players Robby Fabbri, Michael Rasmussen, Givani Smith, Carter Rowney, Alex Nedeljkovic, Filip Zadina, Sam Gagner, Pius Suter and Joe Veleno have tested positive, along with head coach Jeff Blashill and assistant coach Alex Tanguay.
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Tyler Bertuzzi, Danny DeKeyser and Marc Staal also have been in protocol this season. DeKeyser, Erne, Zadina, Fabbri and Gagner all have had the virus twice.
The NHL shut down the Wings (15-13-3) from Sunday through at least Dec. 26. The Wings already had their Monday game postponed because when the Colorado Avalanche shut down its season, and were scheduled to play Thursday at Minnesota. Now the next scheduled game is Dec. 27, at the New York Rangers.
Tuesday’s announcement by the NHL that the Washington Capitals at Philadelphia Flyers game had been postponed brought the number of games affected by the virus to 50. The NHL and NHL Players Association agreed to revise the scheduled Christmas break to run Wednesday to Saturday, rather than the original Friday to Sunday.
In addition to the Wings and Avalanche, teams that were shut down prior to the leaguewide shuttering include the Montreal Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Nashville Predators, Calgary Flames, and Florida Panthers.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.