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Used to playing through aches and illness, NHLers know COVID-19 is different

Dave Tippett remembers keeping injuries from trainers on numerous occasions during his playing days.

A cracked bone? Good to go. What about a sore shoulder? No problem.

It's well-known NHLers battle through aches, pains and even illness. Almost like clockwork, a flu bug tears through more than a few locker rooms every season. Players often attempt to soldier on without missing any time, especially when the games matter most.

In the era of COVID-19, however, some of that old the definition of "toughness" is being thrown out the window.

Players and coaches are keenly aware that if they're feeling even the slightest bit off — and there are a laundry list of symptoms associated with the novel coronavirus, from chills to headaches to fatigue and weakness — it needs to be reported immediately.