About five months ago, the hockey world was looking forward to gathering in Montreal and welcoming in a new class of prospects at the 2020 NHL Draft where Quebec-born Alexis Lafreniere would be hearing his name called first overall so close to home.
Now, he and the rest of this year’s prospects will hear their names called at home, while continuing to practise proper safety protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tuesday’s 2020 NHL Draft will no doubt look a lot different this year, with the NHL conducting a virtual draft — similar to those we’ve seen already in the WNBA and NFL, who went ahead with theirs as scheduled back in the spring.
The WNBA was the first North American professional league to take on the challenge of a virtual draft, on April 17, and their resounding success showed us it was not only possible to pull off, but also really entertaining while still giving the athletes a memorable experience as they took this next step in their career. A week later, the NFL conducted its three-day, 255-pick draft, giving football fans a welcomed distraction with another successful (and glitch-free!) production. The National Women’s Hockey League also went ahead with its draft in April, which wasn’t broadcast but was able to bring hockey into the homes of many sports fans in a unique way on social media.
Watch Round 1 of the NHL Draft on Sportsnet and SN NOW beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Tuesday, Oct. 6. Then catch Rounds 2-7 on SN1 and SN NOW starting at from 11:30 a.m. ET/8:30 a.m. PT on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
All three drafts were resounding successes, bringing new ideas and elements to the table and providing valuable lessons for other leagues to learn from them.
By now, we’re pretty used to seeing sports and television productions produced remotely, and getting a webcam view into the home offices and basements of those on-air is just part of our new normal. The NHL pulled off its quarantined return-to-play without a hitch, we’re a few games away from crowning champs in the WNBA and NBA’s respective bubbles, and we’re more than used to seeing empty ballparks and football stadiums as the sports world has resumed.
Still, this year’s NHL Draft will take a little getting used to.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will still be hosting Round 1, but he’ll do so from the NHL Network’s New Jersey studio (the same setting we saw during the draft lottery back in August). Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly will host Rounds 2-7 from the same studio, and teams will continue the tradition of announcing their own picks — just not from a formal draft stage, but rather their own remote location.
Not seeing the league’s latest first-round picks make the trip from their seats to the draft stage, hearing the reactions of the crowd, and seeing players interviewed in person as their futures are beginning to unfold… that will be an adjustment. But it’s still a joyous occasion, and will offer hockey fans another glimpse of normalcy at a time when we’d usually be digging into a fresh season of NHL hockey.
Here’s a refresher of how the WNBA, NFL, and NWHL conducted their virtual drafts, and how those experiences might shape our expectations of what’s to come in the NHL on Tuesday night.
Approach with compassion
This one’s listed first, because it’s the most important lesson learned from throughout this entire experience — both in sports and society as a whole. This draft isn’t going to be what we’re used to seeing, and it isn’t going to be perfect — and that’s okay. Everyone’s doing the best they can, while still following government and league guidelines to keep everyone safe and in good health. There might be lags during video interviews, awkward transitions, and a few technical glitches. But if we all approach this event knowing the stakes as well as the stresses, we’ll get through it and be able to welcome and celebrate a new class of NHL hopefuls.
Found myself thinking this often throughout NFL Virtual Draft: I wish I could have had my sons with me during Draft weekend in my decade with the Packers. We’re not solving world peace, we’re picking football players. Love the human touch, hope it continues, virtually or not.
To address concerns and troubleshoot any potential issues, the NFL conducted a two-round mock draft among all 30 teams on the Monday of draft week. Reported complaints of glitches, bandwidth issues, and unmuted phones making for a mess of a conference call allowed the NFL to resolve these issues before the real deal and give GMs more confidence going into the event.
Even in isolation, it’s going to need to be a team effort all-around. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert talked about enlisting the help of her daughter and son while she announced each pick from her living room. The NFL allowed one I.T. professional at the home of every team’s designated drafter to step in if any technical difficulties occurred, and several NHL general managers have talked about their own comfort levels with the technology.
In the days and weeks after the draft, a number of NFL teams released behind-the-scenes videos of how their draft setups came together. It was interesting to see how much communication was required at all levels, and how teams set themselves up for maximum success on draft night.
Now several months later, it’s likely we’ll see fewer home office setups and more socially-distanced boardrooms as regulations allow.
Several NHL general managers have spoken about doing test runs of their own, and getting comfortable with the tech setup and how communications will be conducted among staff.
Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman said he’ll be in a socially-distanced conference room at the team’s facility: “This morning, we did our own bit of testing, walking through the technology we’ll be using … The league is running through it with our IT people to make sure we’re running it how they want it to run, and making sure it’s operational. I’m very comfortable that it should work out really well.
“We’ve got a nice spaced-out conference room, and it will be a little quieter in there,” Yzerman continued, via NHL.com. “It will be a little less hectic. Particularly in Round 1 when the building is full, the fans are chanting and there is a lot of buzz in the building. With a lot of people around, it can be very distracting. I kind of like this [virtual] format. You do not have the ability to quickly catch the eye of a general manager, but we’ve got multiple phone lines. You can get a lot done quickly.”
“We’ve gone through multiple scenarios, we’ve had multiple mock drafts,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorion, owner of the third and fifth overall picks, told reporters. “We’ll be ready.”
San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson said he spoke with management from other leagues to get advice.
“We’ve talked with other GMs from other sports that have had to go through this,” Wilson told reporters, via The Associated Press. “We’ll have enough setup that we’ll have all of our staff accessible.”
Let fans behind the scenes
One of the best parts of watching the draft is the drama of it all — even (or maybe especially) before the first team is officially on the clock. With every team’s front office sitting at tables on the draft floor, it’s the only time so many hockey movers and shakers are in one place and looking to make deals. Watching GMs mill about, mingle, seeing who’s on the phone(s), seeing traditional foes chatting (or not talking at all)… it makes for great T.V. And even if a trade doesn’t go down, it’s the possibility of what’s being discussed in plain view that makes this event so much fun to watch.
A virtual draft means much of that intrigue is missing — though, it doesn’t have to be completely gone. The NFL had a camera trained on each team’s GM and head coach, stationed in their respective home offices, which still allowed fans a glimpse behind the scenes. (It also ensured they were following proper social distancing protocols.) Because NFL teams’ staff typically conduct their drafts from their respective “war rooms” at the clubs’ facilities, seeing NFL GMs and coaches working separately in their own homes wasn’t as big an adjustment as it would be for those in the NHL.
The NHL will also implement cameras fixed on all teams’ GMs to let fans in on any action.
Maybe we’ll see some more sweet home setups…
I love football, I love the draft, I love studying teambuilding, but by far the most exciting part of this draft is when there’s a new camera angle of Kliff KIngsbury’s house.
The draft has changed in presentation over the years but prospects are, of course, always front and centre. In fact, now more than ever, it will be really important for the NHL to give the class of 2020 a positive, memorable experience despite the fact that they won’t be hitting the draft stage for that moment they’ve no doubt envisioned over the years as they’ve strived to make it to the pros.
This is where the WNBA really shone. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert made it a priority to keep players front and centre, knowing this group of prospects wouldn’t get to enjoy the kind of in-person experience and celebration as those drafted before them.
In an unprecedented year, the @WNBA is innovating to make the players feel special and connected with Commissioner @CathyEngelbert This is NEXT level WELCOME package. The players also received all 12 team hats so they will be ready when they are selected! SO CREATIVE. pic.twitter.com/7kjXd9nWwY
Both the WNBA and NFL drafts saw many draftees let fans into their home virtually via a league-provided camera, and both also sent out draft packages featuring league gear and team hats to give draftees that traditional draft-day token. The NHL plans to do the same, providing top prospects with multiple teams’ gear and setting them up for virtual interviews so their new fanbases can hear from them first-hand from home.
This is great: I’ve been told the NHL is sending every team’s hat to potential first-rounders so they can wear their new team’s logo when they get drafted this year, even though it’s remote.
Both the NFL and WNBA struggled at times to capture that live “draft moment” — not surprising, when you’re dealing with delays and a number of different feeds — but being able to see draftees waiting and then celebrating with their families was a valuable part of the experience, just like it is during the draft in normal, in-person situations.
Don’t force fan interaction
In an effort to re-create the fan experience, and the time-honoured tradition of booing the commissioner, the NFL brought in a backdrop of each teams’ fans via webcam feeds to serve as a backdrop as Roger Goodell read out each selection. It was an admirable idea, and likely a difficult feature to coordinate in an effort to bring in some semblance of normalcy, but it mostly missed the mark and didn’t appear to be worth the effort. It also pushed Goodell into forced interactions, which wasn’t a great look overall.
The NWHL, which presented its draft solely online, brought the hockey community together by going to where the fans already are: Hockey Twitter. The league reached out to various people in and around the hockey and sports community to announce picks with a personalized video and graphic for each prospect being chosen. In doing so, they were able to virtually bring together athletes from various leagues and communities, including the NHL and WNBA, as well as media personalities and other supporters, making for a total team effort online that captured fans’ attention and most likely brought in new supporters, too.
OK, this is a really just a message for all the coaches, GMs, insiders, and prospects out there who plan to operate from home, in hopes of making some more internet magic like this gem from Bill Belichick and his pup, Nike:
NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.
The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.
Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.
The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.
O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.
After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
NEW YORK – Florida Panthers centre Sam Reinhart was named NHL first star of the week on Monday after leading all players with nine points over four games last week.
Reinhart had four goals, five assists and a plus-seven rating to help the Stanley Cup champions post a 3-0-1 record on the week and move into first place in the Atlantic Division.
New York Rangers left-winger Artemi Panarin took the second star and Minnesota Wild goaltenderFilip Gustavsson was the third star.
Panarin had eight points (4-4) over three games.
Gustavsson became the 15th goalie in NHL history to score a goal and had a 1.00 goals-against average and .962 save percentage over a pair of victories.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson won’t finish the season as Cleveland’s starting quarterback for the second straight year.
He’s injured again, and the Browns have new problems.
Watson ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the first half of Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati, collapsing as he began to run and leading some Browns fans to cheer while the divisive QB laid on the ground writhing in pain.
The team feared Watson’s year was over and tests done Monday confirmed the rupture. The Browns said Watson will have surgery and miss the rest of the season but “a full recovery is expected.”
It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year after just six starts.
The 29-year-old went down Sunday without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson crumpled to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.
He immediately put his hands on his helmet, clearly aware of the severity of an injury similar to the one Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sustained last year.
As he was being assisted by the team’s medical staff and backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson grabbed a ball to begin warming up, there was some derisive cheers and boos from the stands in Huntington Bank Field.
Cleveland fans have been split over Watson, who has been accused of being sexually inappropriate with women.
The reaction didn’t sit well with several Watson’s teammates, including star end Myles Garrett, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who was appalled by the fans’ behavior.
“We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall. To be season-altering, career-altering injury,” Garrett said. “Man’s not perfect. He doesn’t need to be. None of us are expected to be perfect. Can’t judge him for what he does off the field or on the field because I can’t throw stones for my glass house.
“Ultimately everyone’s human and they’re disappointed just like we are, but we have to be better than that as people. There’s levels to this. At the end of the day, it’s just a game and you don’t boo anybody being injured and you don’t celebrate anyone’s downfall.”
Backup quarterback Jameis Winston also admonished the uncomfortable celebration.
“I am very upset with the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years, and he put his body and life on the line for this city every single day,” he said. “The way I was raised, I will never pull on a man when he’s down, but I will be the person to lift him up.
“I know you love this game. When I first got here, I knew these were some amazing fans, but Deshaun was treated badly and now he has to overcome another obstacle. So I’m going to support him, I’m going to lift him up and I’m going to be there for him.”
The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s tumultuous time with the Browns.
Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks and five overall to Houston in 2022 to get him, with owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam approving the team giving Watson a fully guaranteed, five-year $230 million contract.
With a solid roster, the Browns were desperate to find a QB who could help them compete against the top AFC teams.
The Browns had moved on from Baker Mayfield despite drafting him No. 1 overall in 2018 and making the playoffs two seasons later.
But Watson has not played up to expectations — fans have been pushing for him to be benched this season — and Cleveland’s move to get him has been labeled an abject failure with the team still on the hook to pay him $46 million in each of the next two seasons.
Watson’s arrival in Cleveland also came amid accusations by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions while he played for the Texans. Two grand juries declined to indict him and he has settled civil lawsuits in all but one of the cases.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games and fined $5 million for violating the league’s personal conduct policy before he took his first snap with the Browns. The long layoff — he sat out the 2021 season in a contract dispute — led to struggles once he got on the field, and Watson made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.
Cleveland signed veteran Joe Flacco, who went 4-1 as a starter and led the Browns to the playoffs.
Before Watson got hurt this year, he didn’t play much better. He was one of the league’s lowest-rated passers for a Cleveland team that hasn’t scored 20 points in a game and is back in search of a franchise QB.
