“The ice rink is the place to be safe, it’s clean,” said the general manager of the Calgary Flames, Brad Treliving.
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July 9, 2020 21h37
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Bubbles saved by the COVID-19, the biggest challenge of the NHL
Joshua Clipperton
The Canadian Press
The plan of the national hockey League appears to be robust and detailed. Once the players arrive in the “bubbles” of the two cities-poles later in July in the framework of the strategy of the league to revive his season halted by the pandemic, the teams should, in theory at least, be fairly well protected from the threat of the COVID-19.
A document of 28 pages unveiled earlier this week shows a long list of sanitary and safe where it seems to have forgotten nothing. They include obligatory tests daily and the wearing of masks each time that it is possible, as far as the prohibition to enter in the hand (high five) and the suggestion not to talk in elevators.
The biggest challenge, however, could be arriving in the bubble and have been largely unaffected by the sars coronavirus.
Strict rules will be put into practice once the 24 teams that will take part in the revival, will take the management of cities-poles — who should be Toronto and Edmonton — and will be isolated from the general public. However, players will be able to circulate freely during training camp, which should begin early next week.
And though the league has ruled, in a separate document, on the need to be cautious in regards to the social distancing outside of team activities during training camp, the players, the coaches and the leaders are not without ignoring that there is a risk.
“The ice rink is the place to be safe, it’s clean,” said the general manager of the Calgary Flames, Brad Treliving.
“You have the protocol that is really applicable. The recommendation and the message to players will be “You have to keep your (closed circle) as tight as possible”.”
The NHL is planning to conduct tests on the players every 48 hours during the training camp and head coach Mike Sullivan, of the Pittsburgh Penguins, said that discussions have already started within its group on the pitfalls possible during the next two and a half weeks.
“Use common sense,” said Sullivan. “This will be beneficial to everyone, whether it be our players or the general public.”
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at Toronto General Hospital, is of the opinion that this message will be crucial for the league during this coming period of vulnerability.
“You’re not in a bubble, and the players, as all of the other people in the world, are likely to be hit by this infection. People must be careful to avoid going out and mingle with others around them.”
Although the virus is relatively under control in Canada, the explosion of cases south of the border, including the areas ” hot ” such as Florida, Texas and Arizona, serves as a warning. 24 concessions to take part in the revival, 18 are based in the United States and will fly not to Canada before the end of July.
“I will not put words in the mouth of anyone,” noted dr. Bogoch. “But you can be sure that the teams are going to insist on the importance to ensure that we remain safe and healthy.”
Head coach Claude Julien, Montreal canadiens, which is 60 years old and is part of an age group more at risk of suffering from the COVID-19, said that his team will do everything to help the players during the training camp, including the delivery of the grocery store.
“They treat it very seriously “, he said. “They are aware of the danger to themselves, to their teammates, to their families. It is up to us all to be rigorous.”
Of the 396 NHL players who were tested in the complex of teams between 8th June and last Monday in small workouts optional in the framework of phase 2 of the protocol, 23 results, about 6 %, are positive income. The NHL is said to be aware of 12 other positive results among the players who did not participate in phase 2.
Phase 3, which corresponds to the beginnings of the camps, is expected to see approximately 750 players relate to the sites of the teams next week, if the protocol for return to play and the proposed extension of the collective agreement are accepted in the course of the next few days.
It means that about half of the players to participate in the recovery had not yet been tested by the league in the beginning of the week.
An outbreak within a team, or several, could cause chaos in the plans of the league. The Major League Soccer, which began its tournament of stimulus Wednesday, has had to exclude the FC Dallas and the Nashville SC from the competition due to a total of 20 cases of COVID-19 among these two teams.
Dr. Bogoch, who praised the NHL for his attention to detail on the inside of what should be bubbles strictly managed, is of the opinion that even if all the precautions are taken during the training camps, it is possible that the virus manifests itself.
“You trust the good judgment of the people. It may work most of the time, but it may not work 100 % of the time. A case can certainly result in other cases.”
Exactly what the NHL is hoping to avoid.
