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The chaos of the crown in Linköping HC has not escaped anyone. In the last week, more and more cases have been established and on Monday the club confirmed that 24 people with work assignments in and around the men’s team have been affected by covid-19.
Djurgården and Skellefteå have also had some cases of illness, but no team comes close to having a viral picture as widespread as the LHC.
At first the club could not explain when and how the infection accelerated, but when SportExpressen reaches out to sporting director Niklas “Pajen” Persson, the management has made a robust impact assessment.
Patient X has been identified and a specific trip has been identified as the cause of the spread.
The away game in Skellefteå on October 17.
– We travel together, we take a bus for a long time and we live together. Everything is done according to the restrictions that exist, but it did not help because the disease quickly spread in the group. We also have players who do not have any symptoms and who tested positive, that is what is scary about everything. Our great challenge is that players and people from the outside world can carry the infection without showing symptoms.
Know who was affected first
Persson doesn’t want to name which player got the virus first.
– No, but we know which of the players was affected first. He must have gotten it from somewhere, we pulled a few strings to find out how and we have some ideas about it.
You say you have thoughts, what does that mean?
– We talked about it and tried to analyze how it took off.
What is your theory now?
– Until now it will only be conjecture, so I choose not to comment on it. We have several different scenarios as to how it could have started, but it is primarily a medical question that our doctor can answer, such as when is the risk of infection highest and how long is it infected.
Patient X, if we’re going to call you that, did you show any symptoms when you started on the road trip to Skellefteå?
– No, none at all.
How are people living with the virus right now?
– Under the circumstances, everyone is fine. Most have mild symptoms, so everyone feels fine in everyday life. So we don’t know how it will affect training and performance on ice. We have to go step by step and we have a plan for how all the infected players will come back, it’s like a brain ladder. It starts today.
Is it enough to stop men’s activities until Thursday?
– I think so. Not everyone will be able to participate on Thursday, but then we can do some kind of business. Simple training, for those who can join. I guess we can be 10-15 pieces with a reservation of how they all respond to the first tests. We don’t go out on ice if they don’t respond well to tests.
SHL Sports Director Johan Hemlin had a meeting on Sunday with all the medical teams in the league. There, experiences and thoughts about the corona virus were partly exchanged, but the parties also discussed how the clubs were working to prevent outbreaks.
Hemlin firmly stated, in an article with SportExpressen, that all associations behaved in accordance with the medical protocol to which SHL adheres.
Despite the massive expansion experienced by the LHC, Niklas Persson believes that the club with the result in hand could not have done anything differently.
Here’s how he describes the course of events during the critical days of just over a week ago:
– On Sunday night, few players were affected. It picked up speed from Monday to Tuesday. We had Monday off when we got home. Then some players showed symptoms, but did not report it on Monday. His first thought was not that they had a crown, but that he had a cold, but those players stayed home on Monday, but they were tested when we met on Tuesday and then it was clear that they were infected, says “Pajen” and continues :
– All players have been tested for symptoms and no one has been allowed into the room. We closed after Tuesday, as soon as we noticed it started to pick up speed.
“Understand that the media has pushed the issue”
Unforeseen crown buds Not only does it affect the game schedule, it also disrupts the clubs’ daily training and preparations.
Something that can create uneven conditions of competition.
Niklas Persson says the LHC “was unlucky” to have been hit so hard in the immediate vicinity of a national team break, but that other teams may get much more difficult starting positions if the virus spreads closer to February-March. when line, finals, and ranked battles will be played.
This discussion has led to opinions that the leagues should close down because of relegation as the 20/21 season will not be fair.
Persson has followed the newspaper reports.
– It is a very difficult question. I understand that the discussion is emerging and that the media has pushed the issue. It is also a discussion that should be there, I think, because it is a very special season. Tell me if a club will be affected in March when line battles or finals or qualifiers are decided … I wouldn’t have wanted to end there. It hadn’t felt right.
Will you continue the topic because you say it should be discussed?
– I am convinced that the subject is being discussed, or rather comes discussed in owner forums or management meetings. Even at the federal level. Then we will see what the result will be. No club wants to end up where we’ve been when match dates start to get tough, like at the end of the season. Now it works, but the longer the season goes on, the more difficult it becomes.
Do you have a personal opinion on this?
– My personal opinion is that the discussion should go up, where does the road take after that … There are pros and cons in everything. My starting point is that there should be ups and downs because it belongs to Swedish hockey. But it should be discussed this season so that we can make a good decision for everyone.
Can’t tell your club president or director to mention you in the property forum?
– Hehe, yes, and it is inevitable that we have not talked about that already. Both with people on the board and with people in and around the club.
