Taking sick days at the NHL level isn't a common occurrence, but when it does happen, there are certain steps to take.

ARLINGTON, V.A. --  To start the month of April, Charlie Lindgren wasn't able to make it to MedStar Capitals Iceplex to join the Washington Capitals for practice. He'd woken up feeling off and then ended up battling a two-day bout with the stomach bug that left him vomiting and dehydrated.

The 29-year-old netminder had avoided bouts with COVID-19 and the common cold over the course of the campaign and didn't pick up any of the non-COVID viruses that'd spread through the dressing room earlier in the year. Normally, he'd try to play through an illness, but this one, in particular, forced him to stay home and not only miss practice but a tilt the following day against the New York Rangers.

"It's never fun watching hockey from home, but you just gotta," he said.

In the usual 9-5, Monday-Friday job, sick days are common, with everyone usually getting a fixed amount per year if they're feeling under the weather.

The NHL is a different business, a world where the "sick day" takes place but isn't as common. In fact, a lot of the times, players will often try to play through -- and somewhat expect to play through -- the likes of a typical headache, a mild cold, nights without sleep or small non-COVID illnesses.

"[I don't] give a fuck," Evgeny Kuznetsov, who had a bad cough and trouble breathing during his bouts with COVID-19 in 2020-21, said regarding playing when he's feeling ill. "You got to be there and you got to be ready... You have to be ready; if you're not ready, you're not playing."

While it's simple enough for players like Kuznetsov, it's not as easy as it looks or seems to be. The game is faster and always changing, and being a step behind and feeling off can only make things harder, especially when the only way to go about it is to carry on as usual.

"There's gonna be times where every single guy in this room is gonna be feeling worse than they had before," Lindgren said. "It's part of the job."

In that case, what do players do?

Trevor van Riemsdyk said that it's vital to stick to the same routine, and more often than not, it's more of a mind game to deal with when under the weather.

"When you're feeling like crap, you kind of have to rely on your routine to kind of drag your mindset into, 'It's game time. You gotta get going.' And try to rely on that, but it can definitely be challenging when you're not feeling yourself," van Riemsdyk said. "It's hard to get your mind off of that and kind of on the game when your mind's not 100 percent in the game. But it'll definitely show on the ice."

T.J. Oshie agreed and also said visualization can help and that, for some reason, he is able to kick his play into a higher gear when he's feeling sick.

"You just grind as best you can... my mind just kind of goes to like Scottie Pippen or Michael Jordan when they were in the finals and those times where Michael Jordan was so sick that he barely slept and Scottie Pippen had a bad back and could barely walk," Oshie pointed out. "They still went and had phenomenal games, so it's kind of like that."

Besides the Biosteel and water provided on the bench, players also turn to other remedies on the fly. For hydration and some intake of carbs, players have sucked on syrup or mustard packets and have had cookies and bananas during games.

Of course, there's also a natural element to hockey that can be a cure of its own.

"Adrenaline," Matt Irwin said. "It powers you through those situations. You could feel not yourself all day, and then at puck drop, you kind of get in your routine. It's funny how repetition kind of takes over; you're in that routine, you're comfortable."

And as a last resort, there is one ace in the hole, one remedy that's been around for years, that's a solid short-term solution.

"Hopefully, the Pepto or whatever can at least put it on the back burner," van Riemsdyk grinned.

"Whatever you gotta take, take what you can get and if it makes you feel better, try it," Lindgren laughed, also adding, "Just find a way to just figure it out and get through the game."

Sonny Milano, who dealt with two non-COVID illnesses this past season, said that in December, a fever left him so ill that he wasn't able to get out of bed. Most of the time, though, he'll battle through sickness, and it's those games where he's found himself to have stronger outings.

"Sometimes, honestly, you end up having a great game. I've played a couple games with sickness and ended up feeling great the second I got on the ice," Milano said.

When a player does have to miss time due to sickness, there's a certain regimen and process of getting back up to full speed. The main one is rehydrating.

While skating, players can lose as much as five to eight pounds of water weight, and for a goaltender, there's the potential of even more weight loss, considering the weight of the gear and lengthy amount of time on the ice.

"You try to overhydrate," Anthony Mantha noted.

For Lindgren, the stomach bug led to additional weight loss and dehydration, and getting back on the ice meant a lot of Pedialyte, Gatorade and water. Head athletic trainer Jason Serbus also made him a care package to promote the right food and drinks for recovery.

"Oh yeah, a lot of rehydrating. Appetite definitely wasn't what it usually was for a couple of days. Trying to drink a lot of fluids," Lindgren said, joking, "I wasn't having as much french toast and stuff like that."

Beyond that, the process is similar to that of an injury: take things slow, control breathing and pace yourself.

In the end, players will try and fight through illnesses most of the time, the same way several players will play through injury over the course of a season. At the end of the day, it's not just a game but a job where not showing up isn't an option.

"You got to find a way to battle through it. You can't just show up and half-assing it. You got to be out there competing and doing your job," Lindgren said. "You just got to figure it out. It's not fun, but it's part of the job."