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National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman, left, speaks to members of the media , Saturday, March 7, 2020, in Sunrise, Fla.
Wilfredo Lee/The Associated Press
National Hockey League teams may temporarily close their dressing rooms to media as a means to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Commissioner Gary Bettman on Saturday said the league would not impose such a restriction but would leave the decision up to each of the 31 teams.
How the coronavirus is impacting the world of sport
If access to the dressing room is shut down, interviews with coaches and players will be conducted in a more formal setting. At Scotiabank Arena, Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe addresses media in a room adjacent to the locker room following games.
Earlier on Saturday, the New York Islanders closed off their dressing room to reporters after a game at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“We will, starting [today], pro-act to what we’re all going through to try and prevent as much potential associations with anybody who somehow contracted something,” Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said. “We cannot control the amount of press that go in the room who have credentials, who come from everywhere. It’d be different if we knew the people.
“What the league has done is given us many materials as far as what to do to prevent. What we have to do in our locker room, what we have to do around everything we do.”
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman speaks to the media before Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final between the St. Louis Blues and the Boston Bruins in Boston on May 27, 2019.
Charles Krupa/The Associated Press
The Rangers announced before Saturday night’s game against the Devils at Madison Square Garden that their dressing rooms would also be closed to the media.
A state of emergency was declared in New York on Saturday after the number of cases of coronavirus rose from 44 to 76 overnight. The flu-like illness has killed more than 3,300 people worldwide and there have been more than 100,000 cases across the globe.
Because of it, the NHL has banned international travel for league-office employees and told teams to prepare contingency plans in case the outbreak gets worse. Players have been advised to minimize contact with fans.
During the second-period intermission on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday, Chris Johnston, the senior hockey writer for Sportsnet, said the NHL is expected to impose a league-wide closure of dressing rooms to media within the next 48 hours.
The league has also asked clubs for possible dates when arenas will be available in the event games have to be postponed. It is also looking into neutral sites where games could be played if significant portions of North America were affected by the illness. Games would be played in empty arenas only as a last resort, Johnston said.
The NBA sent players a memo on Friday suggesting that they give fans a fist bump instead of a high five. They also told them to avoid items handed to them by fans for autographs like pens, markers, balls or jerseys.
Teams have been directed to begin to make contingency plans in case it becomes necessary to play games without fans or media, as sports leagues in Europe have already done.
As of Saturday, public health officials determined that there were nine confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in Florida, where half of Major League Baseball’s teams play spring training games, and five confirmed cases in Arizona, where the other 15 teams hold camp.
Cleveland Indians’ Francisco Lindor, left, signs autographs for fans, signing gloves, baseballs, hats and uniforms prior to the team’s spring training baseball game against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, March 7, 2020, in Goodyear, Ariz.
Ross D. Franklin/The Associated Press
No exhibition games have been cancelled, but MLB officials have sent a memo to all 30 clubs, advising players to avoid taking balls and pens directly from fans for autographs as well as opting against handshakes during spring training. It previously announced it was limiting access to media members who have visited high-risk countries.
The coronavirus originated in China late last year and as of March 6, there were over 100,000 confirmed cases in 90 countries. The number of confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada stood at 57 on Saturday, the majority being in Ontario, with 28, and British Columbia with 27.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has assessed the public health risk associated with novel coronavirus, which is also known as COVID-19, as low. That risk is continually reassessed as new information becomes available.
The outbreak of the disease was a topic of discussion at NHL general managers’ meetings in Florida this week. The league has banned its employees from business travel outside North America and has mandated a two-week quarantine for anyone who does travel outside that restriction.
“We’re aware of what’s happening in other places in the world, and we understand that things may evolve or change, and we also understand that we’re going to have to react to it in a professional and timely and sensible basis,” Bettman said earlier in the week. “But I don’t think, as we sit here today, people should get too far ahead of themselves in terms of how they either react to this or report this. Let’s see how it all evolves.”
Tim Shipton, the senior vice-president in communications for the Oilers Entertainment Group, said Saturday that Edmonton’s hockey team was monitoring the situation. Measures have been taken inside its home rink, Rogers Place, to enhance cleaning and hand-washing protocols.
“The safety of our guests and our people is the top priority, and we will do all we can to prevent the spread of illness,” Shipton said via email prior to the Oilers’ home game on Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Calgary Flames were off on Saturday but are scheduled on Sunday to play at the Scotiabank Saddledome against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Peter Hanlon, the Flames’ vice-president of communications, said team officials would likely meet on Sunday to discuss what, if any measures, will be implemented.
Writers and electronic journalists that cover NHL teams normally have access to players after practice sessions, morning skates and following games. After a short cooling-off period after games, reporters file in to dressing rooms and question players either individually in front of their stalls or in a group setting called a scrum.
It was announced Saturday that the women’s world hockey championship in Halifax and Truro, N.S., would be cancelled amid concerns over the spreading coronavirus.
