The NHL playoffs are always unpredictable, and now a variable is being tossed in — a global pandemic.
The league, which went on hiatus on March 12 because of the coronavirus, is ready to move to Phase 3 of its return when training camps open on Monday.
If all goes well, 24 teams will report to hub cities in Toronto and Edmonton, Canada, on July 26, the playoff qualifying round will start on Aug. 1 with five games, and the Stanley Cup will be awarded as late as October.
And testing, social distancing and hygiene will be the most important defensive systems to make sure it’s carried off.
“We’re all living day-to-day here, and we’ll see what happens,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Saturday during a Zoom call.
How the tournament will work:
In training camps, teams will be limited to 30 skaters, plus an unlimited number of goalies. Players and other club and facility personnel were to be tested 48 hours before they arrived and then will be tested every other day. Temperature checks will be done before anyone can enter a facility.
If players show COVID-19 symptoms, they will self-isolate and be tested. Asymptomatic players will also self-isolate if they test positive and must have two negative tests 24 hours apart before returning.
Players also are being asked to limit their public access off-ice before heading to the hub cities to avoid the chance of exposure. The NHL last week said that 23 of 296 players tested during voluntary workouts were positive, a 5% rate. Another 12 had tested positive since March.
“You need to make your inner circle pretty darn small because what you do affects everybody else,” Carolina Hurricanes forward Justin Williams said in a recent Zoom call. “That’s pretty much the basis of what a team is anyway; you’re only as strong as your weakest link. But at this point, your weakest link can take down your whole team.”
Players have until Monday to opt out. Calgary Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic already has done so, as have the Dallas Stars’ Roman Polak and Vancouver Canucks’ Sven Baertschi and the Edmonton Oilers’ Mike Green.
Once in the hub cities, rosters will be 31 players and teams can bring a total of 52 people. Players will get a floor of a hotel. No one can leave the hub except for a medical appointment or a family emergency. Quarantine will be required when returning.
No fans are allowed. No family can show up until the conference finals, which will be held in Edmonton. Media interaction with players and coaches will be by Zoom. There will be daily testing for players.
“One positive test shouldn’t shut down the tournament, but obviously we have to be very cognizant of player heath and safety and if we have an outbreak situation, that turns into a different judgment,” Daly said. “But there’s no hard and fast numbers on that. That’s more of a sense of the medical professionals, and we’ll take our lead from them.”
On the ice, four bye teams will play a round robin to determine seeding at the top of each conference, while the remaining eight teams per conference will play a best-of-five series.
The breakdown:
EASTERN CONFERENCE (Toronto)
Bye teams: Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning
Qualifying round
New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
WESTERN CONFERENCE (Edmonton)
Bye teams: St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights
Qualifying round
Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks
Arizona Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators
Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers
SCHEDULE: Dates for the qualifying round, round-robin play
Teams will be reseeded after the qualifying round, and the first round will begin Aug. 11. The second round tentatively will start Aug. 25, the conference finals Sept. 8 and the Stanley Cup Final on Sept. 22.
NHL Players’ Association executive director Donald Fehr says he believes players will adjust to the unusual situation because they’re professionals.
“They adapt to whatever the world throws at them: a new coach, an injury … a new opportunity, an illness, whatever it is,” he said on the joint call with the NHL. “So will it be a challenge? Sure. Will it be different? Of course. Will the players in the long run have any difficulty handling it? No?”
The draft will then be held Oct. 9-10, around the time the next season usually starts. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says he still plans to have a full 2020-21 season, even if it has to run later than usual.
Video of the day
The NHL is taking precautions in a bid to keep alive the tradition of awarding the Stanley Cup. It only hasn’t been done in 1919 (during a pandemic) and 2005, when the season was canceled because of a lockout.
So here’s a video from last year’s presentation to the Blues.
No word on whether there will be a social-distancing version of the Cup presentation.
What we’re reading
Medical experts: Plan for conference-only football has merit, is step in right direction
Momentum shifts: More groups call for complete ban on Native American mascots
MLB’s Mask Culture: Some baseball players may wear them during games
Daniel Norris: Tigers P wants players to hear his message after contracting COVID-19
From Mexico City to Cincinnati: Tommie Smith reflects on time with Bengals
Charles Barkley: Sports world is turning social justice statements into a ‘circus’
Palace of Auburn Hills: The Detroit Pistons’ old home was imploded
LeBron James: Why he won’t wear message on his jersey during the NBA restart
Woj: NBA insider reportedly suspended for profane email to senator
What to watch
The MLS is Back Tournament continues with three games. Toronto takes on DC United at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2 while Sporting Kansas City plays Minnesota United at 8 p.m. and Real Salt Lake faces the Colorado Rapids at 10:30. The last two games are on ESPN.
NASCAR’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway airs at 2:30 p.m. on FS1.
The final round of the PGA Tour’s Workday Charity Open airs at 3 p.m. on CBS.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
