H1N1

Chris McCosky, the newbie to the Detroit News team covering the Wings, wrote an article and talked to a few Wings members about the ever-present threat of the Swine Flu...

Piet Van Zant, Wings head athletic trainer has been lecturing the team on hand sanitation. He also is taking precautionary measures like wiping down/disinfecting locker-room stalls and door handles. Water bottles and towels are individually numbered so that nobody shares.

Here's what Van Zant had to say about the seemingly hopeless fight of prevention:

"We are doing all that we can, but you aren't going to prevent it. It's basic flu-season precautions. Try not to touch your nose and mouth with common surfaces that other people have touched. Wash your hands a lot. Don't share towels. And try to get rest and make sure you are eating correctly to help your immune system. But you know it's going to happen. It's not circling the globe for no reason."

Brad May, whose son was playing in a tournament in London against a young boy who died of the Swine Flu, had this to say:

"I mean, how tragic is that?  To have it affect a young boy that quickly, just 48 hours after he was playing in a hockey tournament. Now, was he sick before? We don't know. But there's a big panic coming out of that tournament."


The Edmonton Oilers, tonight's opponent, have been hit extremely hard with sickness.  There has only been one documented case of H1N1 on their roster, but more than half the team is ill.  Coach Babcock had these sympathetic and compassionate words to say about their plight:

"I hear that (the Oilers) are sick, but I don't know anything about that.  That doesn't matter to me. They wouldn't feel bad for us if we were sick. Bottom line, we need to win and they need to win."


Yikes.  Mike's focused on the 'W' tonight.  No more H1N1 posts from this guy until someone significant actually contracts it.