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On Saturday afternoon, the Calgary Flames tested their players hours before their game against the Boston Bruins. Calgary was scheduled to fly to Chicago on Sunday and needed those results before crossing the border the next day. 

PCR tests have to go to a lab to be examined, and that process can take hours. The results of those tests from Saturday afternoon were not known before puck drop that same night at the Saddledome, said Flames general manager Brad Treliving. The game went ahead as scheduled and Boston won 4-2.

The Flames organization then received the results of the tests late Saturday night after the game –and some were positive. They then re-tested players the following day, and more positives came up. 

All told, nine Flames players – one from every forward line and defence pairing that suited up Saturday night – are now in the league’s COVID-19 protocol, as is one staff member. So is Bruins forward Brad Marchand, who scored in that Saturday night win over the Flames. 

On Sunday evening, the Flames and the National Hockey League decided to delay Calgary’s trip to Chicago to play the Blackhawks on Monday. 

“We made the decision to hold our flight up and delay it a little bit until we got the confirmation of the remaining tests,” Treliving said on Tuesday, recounting perhaps the craziest 48 hours in recent franchise history.

“After a couple of hours [on Sunday], we let the players go home…we even looked at rescheduling the flight for Monday morning.”

According to the NHL’s COVID-19 Protocol for this season, vaccinated players are required to get a PCR test every 72 hours. PCR tests, which detect the virus in genetic material and diagnose COVID-19, can take hours to deliver results. PCR tests are viewed by the medical community as being more accurate than rapid antigen tests, which are available to the public more broadly and can deliver results in as little as 15 minutes.

The Flames outbreak sheds light on possible challenges with the league’s current COVID protocols. 

The protocols don’t expand on in-game transmission, nor do they give comprehensive guidelines for testing on game days and whether games can go ahead if results of those same-day PCR tests aren’t known. The outbreak also highlights the challenges teams face having to potentially wait several hours for results. 

The NHL did not immediately respond to questions about its protocols or the Calgary outbreak.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the league had not reached out to the Flames about possible in-game transmission.

Calgary hosted the Carolina Hurricanes last Thursday evening. On Sunday, after their 2-1 loss to the Canucks in Vancouver, Canes forwards Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, plus a member of the Carolina training staff, entered the COVID-19 protocol.

“I’m sure that’s possible,” Treliving said, about the possibility of in-game transmission. “But we haven’t talked about that [with the league].”

The Flames players in protocol now, a contingent that includes Milan Lucic, Elias Lindholm and Andrew Mangiapane, are doing fine, said Treliving

“I would say that people are doing well,” Treliving said. “We’ve been communicating back and forth, but so far guys are feeling good.”

Calgary’s next two games (tonight in Nashville against the Predators and a home game Thursday versus the Toronto Maple Leafs) have been postponed.

Given that nine of their players now have to miss at least 10 days, their short-term schedule beyond that looks unclear as well. 

The Flames are slated to host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, Anaheim next Tuesday, and then welcome back former captain Mark Giordano with the Seattle Kraken on Dec. 23 before a three-day holiday break. 

Treliving was asked if he could even fathom icing a roster without his top-line centre (Lindholm), leading scorer (Mangiapane) and No. 1 blueliner (Noah Hanifin), plus several other key contributors, in the lineup.

“We’re keeping the picture small,” he said.

Despite a four-game losing streak, the Flames (15-7-6) remain in second place in the Pacific Division, one point back of the Anaheim Ducks.

“I don’t want to make any proclamations about what’s going to happen tomorrow, never mind Saturday. We have to prepare. The lesson for all of us at this time is you take the information you have and make the best decision that you can and you move forward.”