New York Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock reacts after he scores a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes in the second period at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday, March 7, 2020. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Ryan Pulock returned to Brandon, Manitoba, shortly after the NHL season was paused on March 12 because he believed it would be safer during the COVID-19 outbreak than more densely populated Long Island.
But the Islanders defenseman is not immune to coronavirus concerns and understands the difficulties health-care providers face. His longtime girlfriend, Paige Friesen, is an emergency-room nurse at the local hospital.
“It honestly hasn’t been that bad just because there haven’t been the cases here,” Pulock told Newsday this week.