Josi lauds Nashville's resolute spirit through tornadoes, coronavirus

Roman Josi said the Nashville region is united and strong, dealing with the coronavirus pandemic the same way it reacted after tornadoes ravaged the area in early March.

"You start with the tornadoes and obviously now with the coronavirus, it's been a tough month for our city," the Nashville Predators captain said Tuesday during a Central Division video call arranged by the NHL.
"But I think if you take one thing out if it, you saw when the tornado happened, how this community came together and how everyone was helping each other. It was pretty cool to see and shows how tight a community this city is. The same with the virus right now. Everybody's trying to stick together, we're all in this together, so it's pretty awesome to see how this city's come together."

A series of tornadoes touched down in west and middle Tennessee the night of March 2 and into the next morning, including one that hit downtown Nashville. According to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, the tornadoes and severe storms killed 24 people and left more than 100,000 residents without power.
The NHL has been on a pause due to concerns about the coronavirus since March 12. Nashville began a 14-day "Safer at Home" order on March 23, and Nashville mayor John Cooper announced Tuesday the order has been extended through April 24.
Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber, who played for the Predators from 2005-16, sent well wishes to Nashville during a video call with Atlantic Division players on Monday.
"The people in Nashville, tough times for you, not only with the tornadoes that were right before this, and hopefully you guys stay strong coming through this virus next," Weber said. "I know you guys built a great city and you're strong together."