Montreal Candiens star Max Domi will play in the NHL restart. Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Canadiens' Max Domi to play in NHL restart despite coronavirus risks

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 7/21/20

Montreal Canadiens center Max Domi will participate in the NHL restart held amid the coronavirus pandemic even though he is a high risk for COVID-19 because he has Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease.

The 25-year-old skated with Montreal teammates on Monday and Tuesday, an indication that he's cleared to feature versus the Pittsburgh Penguins in the best-of-five qualification series that gets underway Aug. 1.

As ESPN's Emily Kaplan wrote, Domi spoke with reporters on Tuesday:

"From day one, the training staff and everyone has been handling this unbelievable, and they're getting better and better every day -- just as we are. We're learning more day by day. To have that little buffer to make sure it was super safe, not that it wasn't at the start, but it worked out great. And now that I'm here, it's awesome, and I'm just worried about Game 1 against Pittsburgh.

"This is my decision. I'm not telling other Type 1 diabetics just to follow my lead here. Everyone has to make their own decision based off their own experience. But for me, it was a decision I thought long and hard about. Weighed every option."

Kaplan added that Domi is wearing a tracker that allows him to mark his blood sugar every five minutes.

Back on July 12, the Canadiens addressed Domi's status via an official team statement:

Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin announced today that the team has agreed with forward Max Domi to wait for a 7-to-10 day period before deciding if he would join his teammates at training camp.

Considering Max's health condition (Type 1 diabetes), both parties have agreed to take this responsible approach and to take this time to evaluate the ongoing situation, in order to make the best decision for Max's health at the end of this period.

The Winnipeg, MB native tallied 17 goals and 27 assists in 71 games in 2019-20.

On Monday, the NHL announced that only two players tested positive for the coronavirus during the first week of Phase 3 training camps.

Athletes around the world have faced difficult decisions regarding return-to-play formats conducted during the uncontrolled virus outbreak. St. Louis Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks elected to skip the pandemic-shortened MLB season because he suffers from Type 1 diabetes.

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