Dallas Stars prospect and North Bay native Colton Point believes North Bay residents have a lot to be thankful for.
"You have to count your blessings," said Point.
The 22-year-old finished his second season of professional hockey with the Idaho Steelheads, Dallas Stars affiliate team in the ECHL. His season ended abruptly in early March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He was on a road trip to Rapid City, South Dakota and on the morning of their game on March 9, the unbelievable news came down that the season was done.
Point misses his hometown because instead of making his way home to North Bay from Idaho, he elected to travel by car from Boise, Idaho to Long Island, New York to be with his fiance.
"When I took off from Idaho, my parents were actually taking off from Florida because the borders were closing," he explained.
"That is why I did not go up to Canada because when I left they sort of shut the border down to any non-citizens so that kind of affected me with my fiance and I could not go back up so we came here instead."
He has been in Long Island with her and her family in state-mandated quarantine ever since.
"You know being from a small town you are lucky that the population density is not too high up there but do not take it for granted because flattening the curve is the big thing here and keeping it like that up there is an important thing," Point told BayToday on Wednesday.
He says being in the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic has been overwhelming.
"It is pretty locked down here," he said.
"Everyone is wearing masks and gloves. If you get a package you do not touch it until you spray Lysol on it and then bring it in with gloves on. Obviously I am keeping in touch with my family in North Bay and the contrast between COVID here and back home is absolutely crazy and we are only 45 minutes from downtown New York City," noted Point adding that his fiance's father normally commutes to New York City daily to work but he is now working from home.
"The county is pretty under control here but you do not take anything for granted anymore. You have to be safe."
Point says he's in off-season mode so is not hampered at all by not being able to be on the ice preparing for next season.
However, he is trying to stay in good condition by going for walks, biking and working out with what he has at the house.
Point has created a make-shift workout facility in the garage at the Long Island, NY residence using random workout equipment and supplementing that with some gear he ordered online.
The 6'4" netminder got into 20 games in the ECHL and one in the AHL this season, hopes by June or July he will be able to get back onto the ice and start doing goaltender specific training. Point, who finished with a 2.86 GAA and a .898 save percentage with Idaho in 2019-20, is going into the final season of his entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars but Point is trying to remain patient.
"Obviously, it would be nice to do things right away but sometimes you have to be patient and I think that is the message that Dallas is trying to send me that not all goalie prospects make the NHL at 23 years old," he said.
"Look at Jordan Binnington last year, he bounced around four or five years in the minors before he finally got his shot and made it worth it. Just stay patient, refining my game and keep taking small steps forward and no steps back."
And of course, he's hoping to stay healthy.
He wants that for everyone in his hometown too and he encourages everyone to follow the local protocols.
"Do not be reckless and endanger yourself and other people," he said.
"Just keep doing what you are doing. Quarantine yourself and just be happy that you are safe and keep with the precautions you are doing to keep it that way."
