To borrow a phrase we hear too often these days, an NHL season like no other opens Wednesday night. Here are some big-picture things to know about the pandemic-shortened 2021 campaign:
It’s going to be a lot trickier this time
Last year, the NHL made it through an entire two-month playoff tournament without a single player testing positive for the coronavirus. But all those games were played in hermetically sealed environments in Toronto and Edmonton, with everyone involved in the games quarantined from the public.
This time there’s no bubble. Teams are playing out of their own arenas, so players are living at home and, for road games, travelling by plane and staying in hotels. Some buildings could even have fans in them.
The Arizona Coyotes plan to allow up to 3,450 people at their January home games. And, this was a long shot, but Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk tweeted Tuesday that he submitted a proposal for 6,000 fans to attend his team’s games (then quickly deleted the tweet and issued a backpedalling statement).
Non-bubbled leagues have all run into problems here in North America. The NBA pulled off a spotless 2020 playoffs at Disney World, but has already had to postpone several games this season now that the bubble is gone.
Major League Baseball and the NFL were both hit by team-wide outbreaks that threatened to put their seasons on hold or turn it into a farce.
The Dodgers’ Justin Turner got yanked in the middle of a World Series game because of a positive test.
The Broncos’ starting quarterback one week was a practice-squad wide receiver. The Browns played a playoff game without their head coach. But both leagues marched on.
The NHL says it’s prepared to be flexible, and it’s already had to bend the schedule.
The Dallas Stars’ first three games were postponed after an outbreak on the team last week. Three other teams have either held players out of practice or cancelled activities due to test results.
WATCH | League must adapt to uncertainty caused by virus:
The puck drops on the NHL’s new season and the all-Canadian division this week and though there are concerns about playing and travelling during the COVID-19 pandemic, the league says it’s prepared to be flexible to the circumstances. 2:00
Get ready to feel déjà vu
Due to the late start and a desire to make sure the 2021-22 season starts on time, this season is only 56 games for each team — down from the usual 82. And, to reduce travel, the NHL realigned its four divisions and cut out all interdivisional games.
So, in the three eight-team divisions, everyone will play each other eight times. In the seven-team, all-Canadian North Division, they’ll play each other nine or 10 times. Teams will often play each other two or even three times in a row.
The Stanley Cup playoffs (scheduled to start May 11) will be more of the same.
It’s still a 16-team, four-round tournament with best-of-seven-series, but this year the top four teams in each division will qualify and they’ll square off against each other for the first two rounds. So we won’t see an interdivisional matchup until the semifinals, which will start in June.
The all-Canadian division should be a hit
This season was in desperate need of a hook to distract us from the dreariness of empty arenas and the inevitable depleted rosters and postponed games.
So the Canadian government may have actually done the NHL a favour by refusing to allow teams to fly in and out of the country for games — leading to the creation of the all-Canadian North Division.
The downside is that we could see the same two teams play each other up to 17 times this year if they meet in the playoffs. The upside is that every one of these games will feature two of the NHL’s most passionate fan bases.
On the ice, familiarity tends to breed contempt.
So there’s more chance for deep-rooted rivalries like Edmonton vs. Calgary and Toronto vs. Montreal to boil over and produce heated games. For a league that’s been looking for ways to juice up its too-long regular season, this might be the ticket.
Read about the big storylines to follow on each of the seven Canadian teams in this piece by Vicki Hall and get Rob Pizzo’s picks below.
WATCH | CBC Sports’ Rob Pizzo ranks the all-Canadian division:
For the first time, all 7 Canadian teams will be in one division. Rob Pizzo predicts which four will make the playoffs. 5:47
There are faces in new places
Everyone’s got bigger fish to fry right now, so don’t feel bad if you forgot Joe Thornton is a Leaf, Taylor Hall is a Sabre, Alex Pietrangelo is a Golden Knight, Torey Krug is a Blue and Max Domi is a Blue Jacket.
In addition to those notable skaters changing addresses, a bunch of goalies switched teams.
Jacob Markstrom went from Vancouver to Calgary, Braden Holtby from Washington to Vancouver, Cam Talbot from Calgary to Minnesota, Devan Dubnyk from Minnesota to San Jose and Matt Murray from Pittsburgh to Ottawa.
And that’s not even all of them.
WATCH | Evaluating NHL’s goaltending carousel:
Rob Pizzo catches you up on the significant changes between the pipes this season. 2:43
A few big names won’t be playing at all
Henrik Lundqvist, who ended his 15-year tenure with the Rangers to chase a Cup in Washington, is out for the season after undergoing heart surgery.
St. Louis defenceman Jay Bouwmeester retired this week after experiencing a scary heart problem of his own last season.
Longtime Chicago goalie Corey Crawford retired last weekend, backing out of his two-year deal with New Jersey before ever suiting up for them.
And 2020 playoff scoring leader Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning is expected to miss the regular season (but could return for the playoffs) after hip surgery.
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.
