The veteran goalie and his teammates spent their first full day inside the bubble at a hotel in a downtown Edmonton on Monday, about a five-mile drive from his residence. For the Oilers, he said, home is so close and yet so far, a feeling they’ll all have to adjust to.
“It’s definitely unique,” Smith said during a Zoom call with reporters. “Reality definitely set in when you were bringing your luggage into a hotel room [Sunday] after you drive from the rink 10 minutes from your house and you’re in Edmonton.
“The only thing that’s a good thing is it’s unique for everybody. Everyone’s going through the same thing, everyone’s staying at these two hotels, playing in the same arena, dressing in different rooms every day. It’s all kind of new to everyone. We’re all in this situation, so going day by day here right now.”
When the NHL announced Edmonton and Toronto as hub cities July 10 as part of its Return to Play Plan, coaches Dave Tippett of the Oilers and Sheldon Keefe of the Toronto Maple Leafs began instilling in their players that there would be no home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers, let alone the ability to go home after games.
Video: Inside the Bubble: Western Conference teams arrive
On Monday, one day after the 24 participating teams arrived in the hubs — 12 Western Conference teams in Edmonton, 12 Eastern Conference teams in Toronto — the message became reality.
“I joked with the guys,” Tippett said. “I told them, ‘In a normal situation, you’d be living at home and at least you know how to get to the rink.’ But even with our guys, with the way the bubble’s constructed, everyone’s wondering which direction they go, which door they get in. So we’re no different than anyone else.
“The rinks, the ice surface itself, boards, glass and that are pretty identical. So that part doesn’t come into play. I don’t look at it as an advantage or disadvantage. I look at it as, we’re familiar, but other than that, we’re on the same plane as everyone else.”
The Oilers and Maple Leafs will each get another taste of the new reality Tuesday when they find themselves the visiting teams in their home rinks. It will be their first opportunities to get accustomed to being in different locker rooms and benches than they’re used to in their home rinks, Rogers Place in Edmonton and Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
The Maple Leafs will face the Montreal Canadiens in an exhibition game in Toronto (8 p.m. ET; NHLN, TVAS, SN1, NHL.TV), and the Oilers will play the Calgary Flames in an exhibition game in Edmonton (10:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, NHL.TV).
“We’re in the same boat as all the other teams,” Tippett said. “We’re in our dressing room one day, then out of it the next day. We’ve prepared for that during training camp. In scrimmages, players dress out of different dressing rooms. You just try to deal with it.
“But we’re looking at it as, we’re a road team. We don’t have any advantage of it. There are no fans, we don’t use facilities like we normally do. We’re just looking at it as every other team.”
The Oilers (37-25-9, .585 points percentage) are the No. 5 seed in the West and will begin their best-of-5 series against the No. 12 seed Chicago Blackhawks (32-30-8, .514) in Edmonton on Saturday.
Video: Marner on adjustments needed to compete in qualifiers
The Maple Leafs (36-25-9, .579 points percentage) are the No. 8 seed in the East and will play the No. 9 seed Columbus Blue Jackets (33-22-15, .579) in a best-of-5 series in Toronto starting Sunday.
They’re attempting to embrace their unique situation just like the Oilers.
Toronto forward Mitchell Marner wanted to bring a piece of home with him, so he brought his own pillow with him to the Royal York Hotel, where the Maple Leafs are staying. Because he lives close by, he didn’t consider it to be a big deal.
“The pillow thing, usually all the beds are pretty comfortable, but you never know what you’re going to get with a pillow,” he said. “It’s just down the street, so it really wasn’t that hard of a thing for me to bring. I just wanted to keep my own pillow.”
It’s all part of the new world the Maple Leafs and Oilers must learn to adapt to.
“It’s going to take some time,” Marner said. “We know that.
“But obviously it’s a little weird, being home but being in a hotel instead of your house.”
