PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Shayne Gostisbehere is used to dealing with tough opponents on the ice, but a battle off the ice was far more serious.
The Flyers defenseman is back with his teammates after dealing with COVID-19 at the start of the season. Gostisbehere was put on the team's COVID-19 list before the start of the season and was sent into quarantine. He was able to recover and is now back on the ice at practice with his teammates.
"I feel really good actually," said Gostisbehere. "I’m very thankful it didn’t hit me too hard, but again, you’ve got to take all the precautions, and just happy I’m feeling good."
Gostisbehere has not been told when he will be able to play in his first game of the season, but he did tell head coach Alain Vigneault he believes he’s ready for the Flyers’ next game on Tuesday night in New Jersey.
The hardest part after getting past the virus when it came to hockey was getting back into game shape, and the defenseman is back at full strength.
"I'm just getting a couple of skates in," Gostisbehere said. "I'm feeling good. Hopefully, I can be good to go."
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Vigneault said he has not made a decision on whether Gostisbehere will play in Tuesday night's game. If he doesn’t play on Tuesday against the Devils, his return is still likely in the near future as Vigneault believes conditioning will not be an issue.
"I had a chat with him prior to practice," said Vigneault. "He skated three times last week, the last two times hard. He's got no remaining effects from COVID as far as his health, so it's just a matter of him feeling that his conditioning and his timing will permit him to play."
Gostisbehere knows he is fortunate considering what the tragedy of the pandemic has done to others. While there is hope with the arrival of the vaccines, Gostisbehere is hoping everyone will continue to follow the guidelines of masks and social distancing.
“It definitely is real," Gostisbehere said. "Obviously, if we just follow the rules like anything else in the world then hopefully, we can get through this and we can stop talking about it again and help the people who have to deal with it."