As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, Quinte News is continuing to check in with some members of the Belleville Senators whose franchise record breaking season was stopped in its tracks. We wanted to find out how they’re handling the situation where they are and what it’s like being isolated from teammates, friends and family.
Up next is a conversation with Head Coach Troy Mann, who was hired two summers ago and tasked with changing the culture around Ottawa’s AHL affiliate. He spoke to us from his Belleville home where he, his wife and daughter, have been self-isolating for the past few weeks.
QN: We’ve spoken to some players about their reaction to the news, but as the person who has to deliver the news, how did you process and relay what was going on?
TM: It all happened really quickly. We were basically told when we went to Laval that everything was status quo and we were going to continue to move on as normal. The day of the game in Laval things escalated on an hour-to-hour basis, so post game we started heading towards Utica and Rob (Mullowney) told us we were best to return to Belleville and if we had to, we could leave the next afternoon and still make it Utica and Syracuse for those games the next two days. The next day we brought the players in for a meeting and with things happening so rapidly with the NHL, we figured the AHL would be part of the pause plan. From there Ottawa, through Peter MacTavish, took over the majority of communications with players and staff in terms of guidelines, quarantines and that sort of thing.
QN: Given the news of players in the Ottawa organization having COVID-19 and a few of those guys coming back to Belleville, did it add any concern or change the way things were handled?
TM: Absolutely. For example Filip Gustavsson, even though he didn’t stay in California for the whole trip, he was out there initially and then on the bus to Laval and started the game, so that was a concern. As a staff we didn’t really come into contact with Balcers, Englund or Hogberg, who eventually came back to Belleville as well. Personally I’ve been worried on a daily basis regardless if it was potentially part of our group, or just going out to do some groceries.
QN: You’re still here with your family in Belleville. From what you’ve seen, do you think people are taking this seriously and seem concerned?
TM: I think our area is like most areas, there are people who are 100% following the guidelines and protocols and there are some that aren’t. From my perspective my family and I have been trying to follow the guidelines to a tee. For an example, we needed groceries after about 10 days, so my wife went on her own, as we’ve been told to do. There was some concern on her end when she left the store feeling that protocols weren’t completely being followed, but at the end of the day everybody has to make their own decisions and hopefully people in general take it seriously, because if we don’t it can be devastating and it’s going to take longer to get back to normal because of that.
QN: How have you been spending your time during this self-isolation period?
TM: I’ve got the home gym in my basement and dog walks. I’ve been trying to do a little bit of work on the computer in the afternoon when you’ve got time on your hands. A lot of family games and trying to keep as busy as possible. Most of all just trying to follow the guidelines so we stay healthy and safe, but so we can do our part to flatten the curve.
QN: You and your family are here in Belleville, but you’ve got family and friends in the US, how difficult has it been to see the differences in how it’s being handled here, compared to there?
TM: The news doesn’t really give you anything positive. We try to tune in a bit in the morning and at night, both on the Canadian and American sides. In the US it really depends what channel you watch. My in-laws live in Michigan and that’s one of the hot spots, my brother-in-law is in Cleveland, Ohio with his family, my sister-in-law is in West Virgina, so we have some people spread out. Personally, I also have lots of friends after spending eight years in Hershey, Pennsylvania, so we’re keeping an eye on things. You just hope that everyone is following the right guidelines and listening to the people that know best. It’s always concerning because whenever you turn the news on, unfortunately, most of what you’re hearing isn’t overly positive.
QN: How disappointing is it given the season your team was having and the potential that was there for a long playoff run?
TM: First and foremost, everyone being healthy and safe is the top priority, but if you look just at hockey, it’s devastating. If you look at the fact the AHL affiliate for the Ottawa Senators hasn’t made the playoffs since 2014 and I was hired two summers ago to change that fancy word “culture” that every talks about. We made a lot of progress last year and just missed the playoffs by two points, so you build on that with some really good prospects and you’re having one of the best seasons in the league and it’s all stopped. We don’t know, but let’s face it, it’s pretty tough to look at it positively that we’re going to continue, but I hope so. When you’re on the cusp of maybe winning the division and getting into the playoffs, having a great season with a great bunch of guys and then from an individual perspective, reaching those goals you set for yourself, it’s hard to put into words. It’s devastating to say the least when you sit down and think about it.
QN: Do you have a preference or thought on how you would like things to resume, if they do and how long realistically until a team can be ready to compete again?
TM: There have been a lot of different NHL proposals, but I don’t see how the AHL could realistically finish the regular season and play playoffs, I don’t make those decisions and maybe it’s possible. When you’re having a good season, you want to go straight to playoffs, but you look at teams on the other side and form their perspective it’s not really fair. I don’t know what the answer is in terms of how you go about it. Do you go winning percentage based on 68 games because everyone’s played a different number of games up until the pause point? It’s a difficult question to answer. From a playoff perspective you’d love to do something where there is a Calder Cup presented because ultimately, you’d love to see what your team could have potentially done. At the same time, you can’t just go right into it. You’re going to need a week or two for sure to prepare. I don’t know what the NHL has been discussing in terms of training camp, but realistically you’d need at least seven to 14 days get guys into a decent frame of mind an in shape quite frankly. Nobody’s skating at all, they’re pretty much doing home workouts, if they’re even doing that. You hope players are trying to do things on their own and from our perspective (Strength and Condition Coach) Jeremy Benoit has sent workouts to our guys, but I suspect the motivation with the unknown it’s probably very difficult.
QN: Do you have any message for the front-line workers, or the fans, given everything that’s going on?
TM: I feel for the people on the front lines. It’s such a difficult situation for them first and foremost. But from our perspective you just hope that people stay safe and healthy, and follow the guidelines to a tee, that way we can get back to some kind of normalcy sooner rather than later.
