The Boston Bruins announced on Friday that one of their players had tested positive for COVID-19 and that the unidentified player subsequently tested negative twice and remains asymptomatic.
This brings the total to 10 known positive coronavirus cases among NHL players since April as the league pushes ahead with plans to resume a season that was paused on March 12.
Bruins players returned to the team's practice facility on Wednesday as part of the NHL's Phase 2 reopening. The player did not enter the team's practice facility, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said on a Zoom teleconference with the media after the announcement was released.
"Subsequent testing from the original positive test is a requirement and continued testing for that player and all of our players is also a requirement," Sweeney said. "Quarantining is also a requirement. So those players from contact tracing as well as the original positive tested player have not used the facility and they won't until they're tested next week."
Starting Monday, teams were allowed to open their practice rinks to small-group workouts _ no more than six players at one time _ without coaches. On Thursday, the NHL announced formal training camps (Phase 3) will open on July 10. There is no date set for the resumption of games (Phase 4).
"Phase 2 of the NHL's return to play plan requires all players to be tested for COVID-19 prior to using the team's facilities," the Bruins said in a statement. "As part of this process, the Bruins were advised that a player tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
"All Bruins players who have returned to this point during Phase 2 have now returned negative test results."
Last week, the Penguins announced one of their players had tested positive for COVID-19, adding that the unidentified player was not in Pittsburgh.
In April, five Ottawa Senators players and three Colorado Avalanche players were announced as having tested positive.
