As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the NHL and more and more games are postponed, questions over whether players should participate in February’s Beijing Olympics are getting louder and louder.
On Friday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league would honour a promise made in the last round of CBA negotiations and let the players play, but news over the weekend that anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 in China could be forced to quarantine for up to 3-5 weeks has some players wondering if it’s worth the risk.
“I think we all hope to go but clearly I think things are a little bit more uneasy than they were,” Maple Leafs captain John Tavares said Monday. “There’s going to be some hurdles and some challenges currently (where) things stand and the way they present themselves. But yeah, (I’m) probably a little more uneasy, at least speaking for myself, than I was a number of weeks ago or a few months ago.”
His teammate Auston Matthews, who has already been named to the United States team, echoed those concerns.
“I’d love to go and I’d love to compete, but there’s definitely a lot of things that I think a lot of us would like to see worked out and just some questions we’d like to see answered,” Matthews said, according to David Alter of The Hockey News.
The Olympic men’s hockey tournament runs from Feb. 9-20 leaving only 10 weeks from the gold medal game until the end of the NHL season in April. That means players could possibly miss up to more than half of their team’s remaining games during the push to the playoffs if they test positive for COVID-19 and have to quarantine in China.
Earlier Monday, the Calgary Flames became the third team to postpone games this season due to an outbreak on the roster while Hurricanes star Sebastian Aho and Devils captain Nico Hischier — two stars in line to represent their home countries at the Games — have entered protocols in recent days.
Blackhawks goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who was Canada’s third-string goaltender at the 2010 Games in Vancouver, said while he enjoyed his past Olympic experience he would need more information before committing to play this time around.
“It would obviously be a huge honour to be selected and have a chance to go (to the Olympics). I’ve been once and it was such a great experience,” he said, according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago. “Now, I think it’ll be good to have some clarity on the COVID protocols over there. If you go to the tournament and stay between four walls for 4-5 weeks by yourself over there, not come back to your team, not play for a month or so and not see your family, too, I think it’s something you have to take into consideration.”
Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reported Saturday that players will have a chance to ask questions about the Olympics and the rules in place on conference calls this week. A handbook detailing the exact COVID protocols at the Games is expected to be released this week, as well.
Golden Knights defenceman Alex Pietrangelo — already named to the Canadian team — is one of the players waiting for more answers before committing to play.
“There’s a lot of things, especially guys with families, that we’re taking a look at,” he said. “I’m not going to make a decision until we get all the answers, because I think those are hard to come by right now.”
The NHL has until Jan. 10 to pull out of the tournament without a financial penalty but the decision not to play can be made after that date, deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed last week.
“You talk about a five-week quarantine, if you’ve already been over there for a few weeks, that’s a really long time,” Tavares said, according to Alter. “That’s a long time. That’s a really long time.”
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
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.
