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  6. article_body => "<p>The health and safety protocols for the NHL postseason have not yet been finalized, but they are expected to be very restrictive for all team personnel to avoid any exposure to the coronavirus. Some players have expressed concerns about being away from family for so long, but it's not just the players.<\/p>\n<p>For Capitals head coach Todd Reirden, the return of hockey will mean saying goodbye to his family most likely for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n<p>Reirden's son, Travis, has common variable immunodeficiency disorder which leaves his immune system unable to defend against bacteria and viruses. You do not typically think of a 17-year-old as being among those considered \"high risk\" for the coronavirus, but Travis would be at the top of that list. Because of that, the return to hockey will mean certain sacrifices for the Reirden family.<\/p>\n<p>While several players worry about being away from their families when they travel to hub cities for the playoffs, Reirden will be without his from the start of training camp.<\/p>\n<p>\"At some point here in the near future, my wife Shelby and Travis are going to go back to a small town outside of Chicago, actually right into Indiana -- Valparaiso, Ind. -- where I've spent my time with the Cup and where my wife's family and friends are,\" Reirden said. \"We've got a great doctor there for Travis and they're going to be going back to that area prior to us being fully up and running to make sure that he's in a spot where he can continue to be safe and they can continue to be looked after by a good doctor and have them around a really good support staff there at home. That's how we're going to handle it.\"<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/capitals-faceoff\">CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE CAPITALS TALK PODCAST<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/capitals-faceoff\/episodes\/7efa7906-ed66-4c64-933c-d5db5a7cbaac\/embed?theme=light-custom\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 200px; border: 0 none;\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe> \n<p>Reirden did express hope that he would be able to see his family before the team traveled to its hub city, but if not, that will mean being away from his wife and son from training camp through the end of the Capitals' season. While there is no timetable as of yet for the postseason, with training camp set for July 10 the beginning of August would be a likely target for a return to play. A typical postseason lasts two months and, while that includes travel which will not be an issue with games being played in a hub city, a typical year does not include a round-robin and a play-in round. That means a full postseason run for Washington would tack on at least two months in addition to the training camp so it is possible that Reirden could be away from his family between three to four months in total.<\/p>\n<p>But when it comes to his son's health, Reirden sees it as a small price to pay.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/capitals\/capitals-coach-todd-reirden-declares-starting-goalie-holtbys-job-lose-playoffs\">REIRDEN SAYS CAPS GOALIE JOB IS HOLTBY'S TO LOSE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\"Safety is first for everybody, our staff, our players, the community, obviously in my own personal situation with my family, that's what we've decided is going to be the best thing,\" Reriden said.&nbsp;\"I don't want to have any issues on that and we've been on a good plan so we're going to continue to do that.\"<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Stay connected to the Capitals with the MyTeams app.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/smart.link\/5bb65a2b6cedb?site_id=Dig_RSN_Wash&amp;creative_id=nbcswash1200&amp;cp_4=www.nbcsports.com&amp;cp_1=washington&amp;cp_2=myteams-nbc-sports&amp;cp_3=nbcswash1200\" target=\"_blank\">Click here<\/a>&nbsp;to download for comprehensive coverage of your teams.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>MORE CAPITALS NEWS:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Oshie:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/capitals\/tj-oshie-launches-auction-benefit-covid-19-critical-needs-fund\" target=\"_parent\">Auction for&nbsp;COVID-19 Critical Needs Fund<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Parade Day:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/capitals\/two-years-later-reminiscing-capitals-magical-parade-day\" target=\"_parent\">A look back two years later<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>SEE IT:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/capitals\/see-it-alex-ovechkin-ice-south-florida-workout\" target=\"_parent\">Ovi on the ice<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n"
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Capitals

Capitals

The health and safety protocols for the NHL postseason have not yet been finalized, but they are expected to be very restrictive for all team personnel to avoid any exposure to the coronavirus. Some players have expressed concerns about being away from family for so long, but it's not just the players.

For Capitals head coach Todd Reirden, the return of hockey will mean saying goodbye to his family most likely for the foreseeable future.

Reirden's son, Travis, has common variable immunodeficiency disorder which leaves his immune system unable to defend against bacteria and viruses. You do not typically think of a 17-year-old as being among those considered "high risk" for the coronavirus, but Travis would be at the top of that list. Because of that, the return to hockey will mean certain sacrifices for the Reirden family.

While several players worry about being away from their families when they travel to hub cities for the playoffs, Reirden will be without his from the start of training camp.

"At some point here in the near future, my wife Shelby and Travis are going to go back to a small town outside of Chicago, actually right into Indiana -- Valparaiso, Ind. -- where I've spent my time with the Cup and where my wife's family and friends are," Reirden said. "We've got a great doctor there for Travis and they're going to be going back to that area prior to us being fully up and running to make sure that he's in a spot where he can continue to be safe and they can continue to be looked after by a good doctor and have them around a really good support staff there at home. That's how we're going to handle it."

 

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE CAPITALS TALK PODCAST

Reirden did express hope that he would be able to see his family before the team traveled to its hub city, but if not, that will mean being away from his wife and son from training camp through the end of the Capitals' season. While there is no timetable as of yet for the postseason, with training camp set for July 10 the beginning of August would be a likely target for a return to play. A typical postseason lasts two months and, while that includes travel which will not be an issue with games being played in a hub city, a typical year does not include a round-robin and a play-in round. That means a full postseason run for Washington would tack on at least two months in addition to the training camp so it is possible that Reirden could be away from his family between three to four months in total.

But when it comes to his son's health, Reirden sees it as a small price to pay.

RELATED: REIRDEN SAYS CAPS GOALIE JOB IS HOLTBY'S TO LOSE

"Safety is first for everybody, our staff, our players, the community, obviously in my own personal situation with my family, that's what we've decided is going to be the best thing," Reriden said. "I don't want to have any issues on that and we've been on a good plan so we're going to continue to do that."

Stay connected to the Capitals with the MyTeams app. Click here to download for comprehensive coverage of your teams.

MORE CAPITALS NEWS:

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