At the beginning of March, before the worldwide lockdown, Washington Capitals prospect and EVZ defender Tobias Geisser was infected with COVID-19. Months later, the 6’4” blue liner is still suffering from the consequences, as he has still not regained his sense of smell.
It all started harmlessly as he told the look :
“I thought a flu or a bad cold was approaching.”
When he woke up the next morning , the symptoms were gone again. A few days later, however, he noticed that he could no longer smell anything.
“But back then, the loss of the sense of smell as a corona (COIVD-19) symptom was not so well known.”
For this reason, no COVID test was arranged for him at the time.
However, since then his sense of smell has not returned to normal, and as a result, they wanted to get to the bottom of it all and he underwent an COVID-19 antibodies test, which turned out positive.
This means he had been infected with the coronavirus.
Even if, apart from the lack of a sense of smell, he fortunately doesn’t suffer any long-term consequences from it, this fact has a decisive influence on his everyday life.
“Suddenly you realize how much depends on smelling. For example, when you come home and usually immediately recognize the smell of your own apartment.”
In addition, the 21-year-old struggles with loss of appetite because he cannot smell the food. His doctor prepared him that the loss of smell could last for a year.
“He also advised me to actively train. I do this with the help of various essential oils. After all, the sense of smell is about 60 to 70% back. But I still regularly experience a moment of surprise when I can suddenly smell something new again.”
Geisser, 21, appeared in seven games for the Hershey Bears this year (AHL) and 25 for EV Zug, recording two assists. The 6’4”, 201-pound defenseman has appeared in 77 career games in the National League, recording nine points (2g, 7a).
Geisser was officially loaned to EVZ on August 4. It was expected at the time of the loan that the Capitals would recall Geisser to North America when the organization’s 2020-21 training camps open.
By Jon Sorensen
