"It was crazy," Abdelkader said. "I was preparing to go to the rink for our pre-game skate, I got down to the meal and they said pre-game skates were canceled and meetings were canceled. So we all kind of were sitting around, we had the news on. I went back up and changed and came back down. We just kind of waited to hear word. We thought that there was a good chance that we weren't going to play but we didn't know for sure so you still gotta prepare like there was a game.
"So we had our meals, then we got the final word around 1 o'clock or so. Then they had scheduled the plane, they need about three-hour notice, so they had scheduled the plane right away. We ended up leaving, flying out of Washington at 4."
On Saturday, March 7, the Pistons had hosted the Utah Jazz at Little Caesars Arena.
The next day, the Wings played the Tampa Bay Lightning at Little Caesars Arena.
A few days later, Jazz center Rudy Gobert became the first NBA player to test positive for the coronavirus, followed shortly thereafter by teammate Donovan Mitchell.
The NBA quickly moved to suspend the season. The next day the NHL followed suit.
"I forgot the Jazz had played at Little Caesars," Abdelkader said. "So I looked back, I was kind of curious what teams they had played and I saw they played at Little Caesars on Saturday. I was like, oh, my gosh. It's crazy. You don't know what he touched or even who else he had affected, other players.
"I saw a Pistons player, Christian Wood, just came out, they announced he had coronavirus. You don't know if other staff, people around Little Caesars Arena, had possibly gotten infected. So we know how fastly this spreads so it's kind of scary. Made me a little nervous for sure."
Fortunately, Abdelkader said he and his teammates have not shown any symptoms so far.
"No one's taken a test, as far as I know," Abdelkader said. "Everyone's been feeling good, which -- knock on wood -- is a positive thing. But we know how fastly it's spreading. Just gotta be aware and have proper hygiene, wash your hands a lot. I think for the most part, guys have been pretty hunkered down in their houses and not really getting out and doing much.
"I know everyone's kind of getting antsy as it is now to go outside or to go someplace, but like I said, practice good hygiene, stay away from public places where there's mass gatherings and try to stay safe."
The fact of the matter is all athletes are accustomed to a schedule, particularly professional athletes, who train to play a full regular season and hopefully playoff games.
So this disruption has definitely thrown everyone off.
"Yeah, it is really tough," Abdelkader said. "We're just in a crazy time that I don't think any of us have experienced before, just with what's happening and with sports being canceled. The NBA, give them credit, (commissioner) Adam Silver, for canceling or suspending the season like they did after they had that. They were a leader in that way and I think everyone has kind of followed suit, which is the right thing to do with how seriously we gotta take this to try to protect as many people as possible from getting sick."
Abdelkader said he is staying home with his family and perfecting a non-hockey skill -- diaper changing for his son, Jaxon.
"I'm getting very good, a lot of practice," Abdelkader said. "My wife's probably enjoyed having me around. So it's been nice obviously to spend some time with the family.
"But I think we're all definitely itching to get back playing for sure. But like anyone, I think we're all just watching the news and following as we learn more each and every day."
