Speaking to the media for the first time since a positive COVID-19 test result forced him to miss Game 3 of his club’s third-round playoff series, Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme described what it’s been like to be sidelined at as inopportune a time as it could be.
The interim bench boss was initially sent home the morning of Game 3 after an irregularity in his early-morning COVID test. Further testing revealed a positive result, meaning Ducharme had to watch his club battle the Vegas Golden Knights on TV rather than from his usual vantage point on the bench.
“It’s tough to describe. You feel helpless, just watching hoping for the best,” he said Sunday, about watching Game 3 rather than taking part. “It’s a weird situation — I’ve never been through that. The last time I watched the Canadiens on TV, it was probably like three years, four years ago. So a kind of special situation but it’s been a special year. We’ve been through a lot, and we’ll get through that.”
Ducharme, who’s received both of his vaccine doses, said he’s experienced no symptoms since testing positive. He shed light on the restrictions he and the club have been working around throughout the post-season, chalking up contracting the virus to bad luck.
“In Vegas, we were not allowed to go outside, not even taking a walk or walking from the rink to the hotel,” he said. “I respected that, went from my room to the meal room, to the bus, to the rink. We were allowed to go to the gym that was reserved for us, in between certain hours — I went there. So, yeah, it’s frustrating, but that’s the way it is. And hopefully I can come back as soon as possible.”
When exactly Ducharme could return is unclear at this point. On Saturday, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported that Ducharme will need to isolate for 14 days before he’s eligible to rejoin his team following his positive test result. Montreal’s current series would run six more days at most, if stretched to seven games.
Ducharme said he hopes to be back behind his club’s bench earlier than that — and believes he will be.
“I’m confident I’ll be back before that,” he said when asked about potentially not being able to return until midway through the Stanley Cup Final, should Montreal advance to the next round. “I mean, it’s a different situation that we’re in. Hopefully I can be back earlier than that.
“It’s frustrating, because [we’re] doing everything that they asked us to do. I never exposed myself and I got that bad luck. At the same time, it happened. But like I said, we’re in a situation where everyone is vaccinated twice, and that’s going to be two weeks on June 23rd. So there are many things that are a little bit different right now.
“But it’s frustrating for sure. I mean, we’ve worked all year to be here. I’ve been waiting for that moment, personally, for sure, for a long time. So I want to be back as soon as possible.”
The Canadiens will meet the Golden Knights for Game 4 of their series on Sunday, the puck dropping at 8 p.m. ET on Sportsnet.
