Of all the places to possibly isolate themselves, the Vlasic family chose wisely.
“We were going to take vacation time in Tahoe at the end of the year, and thought, might as well do it now,” Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic told NBC Sports California on Friday.
Marc-Edouard, his wife Martine and their three dogs were quick to head towards the Sierras as soon as they got word from the Sharks that players were free to leave San Jose.
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“There is quite a bit of snow,” Vlasic said. “[This] week is supposed to be very warm. When we first arrived there was a huge snowstorm, with road closures. So you get a little of everything, which is nice.”
The sights and sounds of Tahoe are the perfect place to put a rough hockey season in the past.
“Whatever it was, as a team we just couldn’t get going,” Vlasic said. “When you fall behind like we did, it’s hard to catch up. Yeah, in the second month of the season we went 11-3, but we couldn’t keep it going.”
Frustrating, yes. But not worth dwelling over for very long for Vlasic. In fact, maybe the Sharks' struggles of 70 games this past season will spark something next time around.
San Jose Sharks
“I’ll look back on the season of 14-15 [missed the playoffs], and then the next year 15-16, we go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final,” Vlasic said. “If you look at that, and build off that experience. The guys came in the following year with something to prove.”
Until then, Vlasic, like most human adults on Earth will try to weather the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
[RELATED: Vlasic, dogs go snow sledding]
“I realized communities were panicking when I went to the grocery store,” Vlasic said. “People were just ripping stuff off the shelf that, in two weeks would be there anyways.”
Interpreting the situation, and his own instincts like so many other NHL players, Vlasic has decided to forego physical training until there’s any clarity of hockey resuming.
“Yes, I shut down the body,” Vlasic said. “I have no gym here. No bike. I go outside and walk the dogs, do some body weight stuff, but nothing like I would if I was in San Jose at the rink.”