By Ian Cox, Assistant Equipment Manager, Ottawa Senators

As I write this it was almost two years to the day that the hockey world was first affected by Covid. We played in Los Angeles and before the game the news broke that there were positive cases in the NBA. We knew that was it. The next morning, we sat on the tarmac as a decision was being made as to what happens next. We flew home early, ending the trip and the whirlwind began. What we all thought would be a few weeks, maybe a month turned into years.

Over this period of time and with the continuous curveballs we have been thrown it’s been so impressive how our entire group has continued to adapt and keep the show running while most of all keeping our players safe. More than ever, we have had to work together and lean on each other during this time. Bubbles, taxi squads, stuck inside hotels, empty buildings, supply chain issues, masks, do it yourself locker room stalls, I could go on.

We have all been affected in a multitude of ways, as a team and individually. Every day was a new challenge, and everyone handled it like we do every time we are faced with a challenge…by finding a solution.

While this isn’t so much an equipment article as much as it is a shout out to everyone for their hard work through the past few seasons. As we look towards our first in person meetings in two years which I am sure hoping is a sign of a return to “normal” it seemed like a good time to reflect on everything we have gone through together in the past few years and say thank you to everyone for what they have done to get us back to this point, let’s all hope this finally is the light the end of the tunnel.