Dominique Ducharme tested positive for COVID-19 and will not coach the Montreal Canadiens against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals on Friday (8 p.m. ET; USA, CBC, SN, TVAS).
"I've talked to Dom twice today," Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin said. "He's doing fine. He's at home. It's hard to tell how long he'll be out. We are dealing with Health Quebec and NHL protocols."
According to those protocols, Ducharme must isolate from the team. Luke Richardson will coach the Canadiens in Game 3, assisted by Alexandre Burrows and director of goaltending Sean Burke.
Ducharme is "involved with anything that might happen related to the game plan" and will be involved in the preparations for Game 4 on Sunday, Bergevin said.
The best-of-7 series, which is tied, could continue to June 26 for Game 7, if necessary.
The game at Bell Centre is the first time a United States-based NHL team plays in Montreal in 15 months because of concerns related to the pandemic.
"We were clear and transparent with the situation, and the NHL and Health Quebec are comfortable with the game going ahead as scheduled tonight," Bergevin said. "We didn't ask for anything, we were really clear and transparent with the situation."
Ducharme is partially vaccinated, with his second shot administered less than two weeks ago (June 9).
Montreal had four regular-season games postponed from March 22-28 when forwards Joel Armia and Jesperi Kotkaniemi were placed in protocol. The NHL postponed 53 games because of COVID-19 protocol during the regular season, which began Jan. 13. No Stanley Cup Playoff games have been postponed.
The Canada government on June 6 allowed cross-border travel for the final two rounds of the playoffs. The border had been closed to nonessential travel since March 19, 2020.
This is the second consecutive postseason Montreal has been without its coach. Julien was hospitalized because of chest pains during the Eastern Conference First Round in the hub city of Toronto last August. He had a heart procedure and left the playoffs before Montreal was eliminated in Game 6.
This postseason, Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar was cleared for Game 6 of the second round against Vegas after an irregular COVID-19 test result caused him to miss that morning skate.
The Canadiens were 15-16-7 under Ducharme after Claude Julien was fired Feb. 24. Montreal (24-21-11) was the No. 4 seed in the Scotia North Division, won the final three games in the best-of-7 Stanley Cup First Round to eliminate the No. 1 seed Toronto Maple Leafs, and swept the No. 2 seed Winnipeg Jets in the second round.
The seven-game winning streak was their longest in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 1993, when they won 11 straight winning their most recent Cup championship. Montreal reached the third round for the first time since the 2014 Eastern Conference Final, a six-game loss to the New York Rangers.
Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Soaps
http://almosthuman99.com
Babe Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://almosthuman99.com/polls/babes/babeofthemonth.html
Hunk Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://almosthuman99.com/polls/hunks/hunkofthemonth.html
No comments:
Post a Comment