Theodore Bluger Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins
Teodors Blugers, striker of the Latvian national team and the National Hockey League (NHL) team Pittsburgh “Penguins”, expresses hope that in the future the situation of Covid-19 in the world will improve and the national team will have another opportunity to participate in the Olympic Games.
Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the NHL canceled many matches before the Christmas holidays, after which Bluger was subject to the Covid-19 protocol and has not played since December 19. Over the weekend, the 27-year-old striker ended his self-isolation, but he was not on the pitch in Sunday’s match. “I had no symptoms, I felt completely normal, which made the whole situation easier. It was not pleasant to skip skating training and other classes, but overall it felt good, ”said Bluger, expressing his understanding of the NHL’s decision to reduce self-isolation time from ten to five days.
During this time, the NHL, in agreement with the players’ association (NHLPA), decided that the league’s hockey players would not go to the upcoming Olympics in February. Thus, Bluger will not have the opportunity to represent Latvia in the Olympic tournament. “The Latvian national team does not have a tournament where it would play every year. It is disappointing that we will not go, but it is a very rare opportunity. At the same time, however, it is important to understand the circumstances that led to this decision. With so many games being canceled, it already seemed that things were gradually moving towards the NHL not going to the Olympics. So it could not be said that it was a surprise. It is hoped that the situation will improve in the future and we will still have the opportunity to participate, ”said Blugers.
The Latvian striker has scored seven goals in 30 games this season, given five assists and accumulated a positive efficiency of +4. He has scored performance points in the last two matches in which he has participated. The Pittsburgh unit, which ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference with 41 points in 31 games, will play the next game on Wednesday as it fights the St. Louis Blues on its pitch.
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