MOSCOW, Pa. — A win over the New Jersey Devils was the last time the Pittsburgh Penguins took the ice. That was on March 10th. Three days later, the season went on hiatus. The silver lining?
"No one's getting hurt right now," Patrick Steidle said. "That's the best part. Hopefully no one's getting sick, anywhere.">
Health always the top priority for Steidle, the team's Assistant Athletic Trainer. The Moscow-native has been with the club for 21 years – the first two-thirds with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton before moving to Pittsburgh, and winning two Stanley Cups.
Newswatch 16 caught up with Steidle in 2016, when he brought the Cup back to his alma mater – North Pocono. Four years later, his job is a bit different.
"Since March 13th, we've had zero face-to-face contact," Steidle explained. "Right now, the players just have home programs for rehab and for trying to stay in shape. We tried to provide the players with as much as we could at home to do the rehab, but you're taking their word for it on some things and there are some people that need some more one-on-one."
The East Stroudsburg University graduate also knows players will need some time to readjust – a luxury they may or may not get.
"When we do start, it's just a matter of how we start," Steidle said. "Do we start right into the playoffs or do you go play a couple games and be ready? Playoff hockey is definitely different than regular season hockey. So, it's definitely going to be a different Stanley Cup Playoff. Hopefully we have a Stanley Cup Playoff."
That's the hope for hockey fans all over the world, but for Steidle – it's also an opportunity to add to his ring collection.