The best indication that the NHL has a strong chance to resume this season and hand out the Stanley Cup may be if we don’t see players surfacing out and about in public via social media.
The COVID-19 virus cannot be controlled, but exposure to it can be mitigated.
That is the message the NHL sent to its teams and players on Friday in a memorandum that was written in conjunction with the NHL Players’ Association.
The NHL “strongly” encouraged players to “self-quarantine” in their homes for “the next week or so.”
“While self-quarantine will undoubtedly impose lifestyle limitations and may seem like an overly precautions measure, adherence to these principles for the relatively brief period of time … should allow us to be in the best position possible to assess next steps regarding the potential resumption of play,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote.
How seriously NHL players – and club personnel who are in close contact with players on a frequent basis – take the recommendation could have a large say on the timetable to return.
To this point, no NHL player has been reported to test positive for novel coronavirus. Dallas Stars forward Alex Radulov was tested for the virus, but the team and the league are awaiting results.
Any player or staff member who develops symptoms, or a person sharing a home develops symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, are instructed to consult with their team’s medical staff immediately.
A positive test could set back an NHL timeline. Commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday that NBA player Rudy Gobert testing positive meant “all bets are off” forcing the NHL to hit pause on the 2019-20 season.
“It was clear to me that no matter what scenario we came up with that we continued to play with, either with or without fans, it was inconceivable, certainly unlikely that we were going to get through the rest of the regular season at a minimum without somebody testing positive,” Bettman told the AP.
As part of the self-quarantine, the NHL’s memo on Friday urged players to “remain in your home as much as possible and practicable and avoid unnecessary interactions with non-family members or roommates.”
Players who live apart from their family during the season – like players who have been traded – are permitted to return to their primary residence. Once there, they have been instructed to avoid any further travel, including public transportation and ride-sharing.
For the most part, team practice facilities are to be off-limits, except for players with “disabling injuries.” Even those players with injuries were encouraged to communicate and continue rehab via alternative means, including FaceTime or webinar, to any extent possible.
The NHL also asked players to not organize informal skates at public facilities, because players will be afforded “sufficient time to resume skating and game preparation activities prior to any resumption of play.”
Following this period of “self-quarantine,” the NHL said it hopes to be in a “position to transition.” The first step would be to re-open club facilities for conditioning, followed by “a training camp period during which practices are scheduled and game preparation would resume.”
Until then, the NHL told players that they will receive each of their final three paycheques of the season, scheduled for Friday (March 13), March 30 and April 15.
It’s anyone’s guess what happens after that.
The NHL’s Board of Governors were told in a conference call on Thursday to expect the pause to last at least three weeks. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a letter to fans that his league’s suspension would last at least 30 days.
Bettman told reporters on Friday that he didn’t want to put a timetable on it. The return to play won’t be determined necessarily by Bettman and Daly, but by health experts who will give a green light, along with a healthy dose of common sense. A league task force is meeting twice a day on the subject, while the league’s top brass works through any number of possibly contingency plans.
“I’m optimistic we will be able at some point to get through the season and award the Stanley Cup,” Bettman said. “That’s the hope.”
