D.J. Smith Says Senators' Members Who Had Coronavirus Have Recovered

Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith said all seven members of the organization who contracted the coronavirus, including five players, have completed their recovery.  

"The good thing is that everyone that had it didn't have horrible symptoms [like] what we're seeing on TV and [with] some of the people that have really struggled," Smith told reporters Wednesday. "Some guys didn't feel well, but being athletes, they all got through it, and they're all on the other side of it now."

The Senators were together on a five-game road trip with three stops in California when the 2019-20 NHL season was halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Smith said on the video conference with reporters the team's firsthand experience with the disease has provided him with perspective about its seriousness:

"My opinion has changed about how much more serious it is. The way it's spreading and hitting towns and cities.

"I think it's important that you see that this disease doesn't spare anyone. It doesn't matter: Actors or actresses, rich or poor, you gotta make sure that you stay safe. I'm really glad that everyone in our organization and on that plane is doing well now, but certainly a scary time. It hit us, but at the same point, probably saved a lot us too. Seeing it up close that quickly, we probably got a bit of a jump on it too."

Although the names of the five Senators players and one staff member weren't publicly released, Sens radio analyst Gord Wilson confirmed his diagnosis to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.

"It's hit me hard enough," Wilson said March 27. "I haven't felt good for two weeks. The worst was last weekend. So I'm hitting a week here at least with shortness of breath and feeling lethargic. I walk up a flight of steps here and I'm out of breath. The biggest thing is the lack of taste and smell. I'm down about eight or nine pounds. I'm not eating as much."

He added: "We've all had the flu and we've all had bad colds. This is completely different ... completely different. It grips you."

The NHL season remains indefinitely suspended because of the coronavirus. Commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday he hopes to have a clearer picture on the league's path forward by the end of April.

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Bleacher Report's David Gardner interviews athletes and other sports figures for the podcast How to Survive Without Sports.