Over the weekend, NHL teams made the executive decision to close their dressing rooms to media members in an effort to fight the spread of COVID-19, also referred to as coronavirus.
The Sharks joined a majority of franchises, like the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings, in having players accessible for interviews only while sitting behind a podium in a group setting. Meanwhile, the visiting Colorado Avalanche kept their room at SAP Center open to media Sunday, with the following caveats: No handshakes, no knuckles, no hugs and no sitting at stalls.
Since we don’t yet know how widespread the coronavirus is, it only makes sense that every team err on the side of caution.