You know, the one who jumps on the Zoom call hours after the NHL announced a series of agreements that could see the Stanley Cup handed out during a pandemic to ask what it might take to derail that exciting possibility.
But it’s a pressing concern. Major League Soccer had to go ahead with its summer tournament down two teams — FC Dallas and Nashville SC — because of a rash of positive COVID-19 tests. The NHL is dealing with its own set of growing positives, as teams prepare to open training camp on Monday, and it will likely walk a tightrope until they each travel to bubbles in Edmonton and Toronto on July 26.
The league conducted a two-hour information call with general managers on Saturday but was vague when it came to the question of a doomsday scenario. The message was that the 24-team tournament would only be shut down if doctors felt the virus had spiralled out of control among the NHL population, rather than being tied to “X” number of positive tests.
Afterward, when your trusted representative put the question to commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly — inadvertently having the camera turned on during the Zoom call while in a more casual setting than the league and NHLPA bosses — details were no more forthcoming.
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“The fact is we’re going to be taking advice from the experts, the medical people, in terms of what is and isn’t appropriate as we move forward and understanding that COVID-19’s out there and what the risks are,” Bettman said.
“Nothing more than that,” Daly added. “Obviously, we’re all living day-to-day here and we’ll see what happens.”
At the risk of looking too far ahead, the coming days will be a challenge. The NHL has instituted a mandate that prevents teams from disclosing any injury information about players in an effort to shield those dealing with the coronavirus from added scrutiny.
Who knew we’d ever pine for the days of the announced upper-body or lower-body injury?
It’s arguably the only reasonable way to protect privacy, but it certainly won’t quiet speculation when a player is nowhere to be found on the ice during training camp.
Where this gets complicated is the many reasons why it matters.
For starters, an outbreak could force the cancellation of the playoffs. Or maybe it sees a team removed from the competition, although no clear indication was provided from the NHL brass when asked if they’d consider following the lead of MLS.
While it’s understandable why players feel they value and deserve discretion — “It was high priority for guys, no question,” said Mathieu Schneider, the NHLPA’s special assistant to executive director Donald Fehr — there’s a certain public trust involved with this entire endeavour, too.
The NHL announced 35 positive tests from June 8 to July 6 and will update that number again soon. But it doesn’t intend to identify specific teams that might be dealing with a spread.
“The media and the public will know what kind of situation we’re in, but we don’t want to be in a situation where we’re doing it on a club-by-club basis or a player-by-player basis because I think the interests of medical privacy are important and we’re going to protect them,” Daly said.
Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman talk to a lot of people around the hockey world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what they think about it.
Schneider likened this undertaking to going to Mars for the first time. There is much to learn and adjustments will be required once teams move into the secure zones in hub cities.
Not only is there concern about keeping the virus from infiltrating shared spaces, but there is worry about the possibility of false positive tests — which could knock a player with no symptoms out of Game 7 in a playoff series.
On some level, these are realities that simply need to be accepted to resume sports at this moment in time.
The NHL has done a first-class job in leading the way during unimaginably tough times. It has secured a six-year agreement on a collective bargaining agreement and got to a point where five games are scheduled to be played on Aug. 1.
And yet, despite all that, nothing is guaranteed. Bettman channelled Winston Churchill by saying that they have merely reached the “end of the beginning.”
The virus poses an ever-present danger to their best-laid plans.
CALGARY – The Calgary Flames have re-signed defenceman Ilya Solovyov and centre Cole Schwindt, the NHL club announced Wednesday.
Solovyov signed a two-year deal which is a two-way contract in year one and a one-way deal in year two and carries an average annual value of US$775,000 at the NHL level.
Schwindt signed a one-year, two-way contract with an average annual value of $800,000 at the NHL level.
The 24-year-old Solovyov, from Mogilev, Belarus, made his NHL debut last season and had three assists in 10 games for the Flames. He also had five goals and 10 assists in 51 games with the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers and added one goal in six Calder Cup playoff games.
Schwindt, from Kitchener, Ont., made his Flames debut last season and appeared in four games with the club.
The 23-year-old also had 14 goals and 22 assists in 66 regular-season games with the Wranglers and added a team-leading four goals, including one game-winning goal, in the playoffs.
Schwindt was selected by Florida in the third round, 81st overall, at the 2019 NHL draft. He came to Calgary in July 2022 along with forward Jonathan Huberdeau and defenceman MacKenzie Weegar in the trade that sent star forward Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Lightning selected Victor Hedman as the team captain on Wednesday as training camp opened, making the big defenseman the successor to Steven Stamkos.
Hedman, who is going into his 16th season with Tampa Bay, was considered the obvious choice to get the “C” after the Lightning did not re-sign Stamkos and their longtime captain left to join Nashville.
“Victor is a cornerstone player that is extremely well respected by his teammates, coaches and peers across the NHL,” general manager Julien BriseBois said. “Over the past 15 seasons, he has been a world-class representative for our organization both on and off the ice. Victor embodies what it means to be a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and is more than ready for this exciting opportunity. We are looking forward to watching him flourish in his new role as we continue to work towards our goal of winning the Stanley Cup.”
The 33-year-old from Sweden was a key contributor in the Lightning hoisting the Cup back to back in 2020 and ’21, including playoff MVP honors on the first of those championship runs. Hedman also took home the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman in 2018 and finished in the top three in voting five other seasons.
Ryan McDonagh, who was reacquired early in the offseason in a trade with the Predators, and MVP finalist Nikita Kucherov will serve as alternate captains with the Lightning moving on to the post-Stamkos era.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
