What if the NHL has to cancel the rest of the season?

[OldTimeHockey]

I heard about that crazy North Dakota option, sounds to me like the NHL is grasping at straws at this point.  The fans are already resigned to it, just cancel the season.  Hopefully we get a normal training camp start in September.

While I agree that they're grasping at straws, it's not really costing them anything to look at all the possible options.

 

[Arn]

Definitely grasping at straws. And definitely no harm in investigating some ideas.

Also it will be great to have sport to look forward to again as a distraction.

But the way it's coming across from some leagues is giving the wrong kind of optics, the English Premier League for example basically wants to finish its season otherwise it'll have to pay back TV money. So it appears they're pushing ahead with things purely for the money rather than trying to play up the positive things like it being a return to normality and a celebration of distraction.

 

[Arn]

I think this is a fairly fair argument

https://www.si.com/mlb/2020/04/10/sports-arent-coming-back-soon

Bursting the Bubble: Why Sports Aren't Coming Back Soon
The NBA, NFL and MLB are dreaming up ways to play amid a pandemic, with talk of isolating players in Arizona or Las Vegas or maybe on the moon. It all sounds great, until you talk to people who actually know science.
STEPHANIE APSTEINAPR 10, 2020
The proposals multiply almost as fast as the coronavirus: The NHL can play in North Dakota! The NBA can play on a cruise ship! MLB can play in a biodome! The NFL can play in its stadiums, with 70,000 fans packed in!

These are fun thought experiments, at least as good a way to spend time in isolation as watching Tiger King. And everyone wants to believe we will be buying peanuts and Cracker Jack this summer. But fans deserve a reality check: According to the experts?medical experts, not the money-making experts in league offices?we will not have sports any time soon. And when we do, we will not attend the games.

Most of these ideas are essentially the same: The players live in quarantine, shuttling from the hotel to the stadium, for the duration of the season. They undergo daily COVID-19 tests. They bring joy to a terrified country. That seems reasonable on the surface. But look closer.

 

[Kin]

I agree it's a fair argument but I think it's unlikely that the leagues don't try something for next season. The arguments about how fan-less leagues wouldn't be a good idea is well made but it raises another question. Are we going to also go 12-18 months without movie theatres? Restaurants? Air travel? If a total lockdown lasts that long the effect on society and the economy will be hard to calculate. If society does open up, even in a limited way, sports will come back in some form.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Picturing the NBA playing on a cruise ship legitimately made me laugh.

 

[herman]

Haven?t you all been binge-watching these?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N95o0m0Q5XY

 

[Bender]

I agree it's a fair argument but I think it's unlikely that the leagues don't try something for next season. The arguments about how fan-less leagues wouldn't be a good idea is well made but it raises another question. Are we going to also go 12-18 months without movie theatres? Restaurants? Air travel? If a total lockdown lasts that long the effect on society and the economy will be hard to calculate. If society does open up, even in a limited way, sports will come back in some form.

The issue will still definitely surround large gatherings and extensive travel. There is talk that there was a superspreader of COVID in Ontario due to the mining conference. All it takes is one. We'll need some extensive test and trace protocols and serologic testing. Or you go the simple route and treat the players like soldiers and house then in separate barracks' and they just keep playing without fans in designated arenas sans travel.

It's going to be pretty bizarre until we either stamp it out so strongly that risk of catching it is extremely low/0, vaccine, extremely effective and simple viable treatment or herd immunity.

 

[Kin]

You know, the other thing that needs saying is that while I really do empathize with players and leagues who want to get back to business, the reality is that sports are entertainment and I really don't want anyone to risk getting sick for my entertainment. That's what makes it different from, say, sports during WW2. Ball games weren't in danger of making the war worse.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

One thing that I haven't really seen discussed is any kind of potential push back from the players/players association about having to play in unsafe conditions. Obviously that's hard to talk about without having a better understanding of what those actual conditions would be, but the the players could possibly be risking their health a lot (or a lot more than they usually do) by playing if this isn't completely under control when they resume.

 

[Frank E]

One thing that I haven't really seen discussed is any kind of potential push back from the players/players association about having to play in unsafe conditions. Obviously that's hard to talk about without having a better understanding of what those actual conditions would be, but the the players could possibly be risking their health a lot (or a lot more than they usually do) by playing if this isn't completely under control when they resume.

I don't think that the risk factor is going to be where it was in February for a long time, and that we're all going to be working in environments that aren't without an elevated risk of contracting the virus in the coming next couple of months. 

What is going to have to be discussed soon is what's an acceptable risk?  What if I don't want to take that risk, but my employer wants me back?

I'm currently working every day in the office with a skeleton staff, so I'm already taking a fair bit of risk...but some of our employees are refusing.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I don't think that the risk factor is going to be where it was in February for a long time, and that we're all going to be working in environments that aren't without an elevated risk of contracting the virus in the coming next couple of months. 

What is going to have to be discussed soon is what's an acceptable risk?  What if I don't want to take that risk, but my employer wants me back?

I'm currently working every day in the office with a skeleton staff, so I'm already taking a fair bit of risk...but some of our employees are refusing.

Sure but generally speaking you and I can continue to work while following guidelines from Public Health like practicing proper social distancing, avoiding physical contact, and if necessary wearing some forms of PPE. That's not the case for hockey players. Unless you're Tyson Barrie in the defensive zone, you can't keep 6 feet of distance between yourself and everyone else on the ice. We've all seen how quickly even the flu can go through a hockey team.

Again, like I said this all depends on if those types of guidelines are still in place by this fall. I suspect they still will be at least in some form.

 

[Frank E]

Unless you're Tyson Barrie in the defensive zone, you can't keep 6 feet of distance between yourself and everyone else on the ice.

Yes, indeed.

I was referring to us regular working folks in terms of acceptable risk.

I think pro-sports leagues are in deep trouble right now.  I would think that having the players all sequestered, and just running tv broadcasts would be a temporary solution...like any other business, they need to find creative ways to generate revenue right now.

 

[princedpw]

Unless you're Tyson Barrie in the defensive zone, you can't keep 6 feet of distance between yourself and everyone else on the ice.

Enjoyed this shade.

 

[Kin]

One thing that I haven't really seen discussed is any kind of potential push back from the players/players association about having to play in unsafe conditions. Obviously that's hard to talk about without having a better understanding of what those actual conditions would be, but the the players could possibly be risking their health a lot (or a lot more than they usually do) by playing if this isn't completely under control when they resume.

I think that's because, and this is just my read on things, that the reason you haven't heard much about it is because there isn't a lot of it. I think players are, generally, just as eager to get things going as owners are. Not only because they're also losing out on millions of dollars but because they probably hate sitting around as much if not more than any of us and they probably think as young people in excellent physical health that they're about as low risk as it gets.

 

[L K]

There really isn't a way to make an isolation league a fool proof way to get the season going forward. You would need to bring the players in.  Isolate them for 14 days and then have a closed system of people coming in or out to avoid having someone bring COVID into the hockey internment camp.  There is no way to guarantee it.

 

[Kin]

There really isn't a way to make an isolation league a fool proof way to get the season going forward. You would need to bring the players in.  Isolate them for 14 days and then have a closed system of people coming in or out to avoid having someone bring COVID into the hockey internment camp.  There is no way to guarantee it.

Right. And then, if someone got sick, you'd have to shut the league down for at least 14 days more to make sure it hadn't spread.

And that could happen at any moment. To any team. The playoffs or whatever. There's just no way a season like that would be legitimate.

 

[ZBBM]

Unless you're Tyson Barrie in the defensive zone, you can't keep 6 feet of distance between yourself and everyone else on the ice.

Enjoyed this shade.

x2.

I just want to chime in to say that these ideas of playing fanless games are absurd.  Without some kind of live, engaged audience it would just be a travesty.  Can you imagine if the Leafs had to play their home games in an unreactive, listless, essentially empty arena with distracted "fans" who are actually more of a drain on the team than anything else?

 

[Phileas Fogg]

Can you imagine if the Leafs had to play their home games in an unreactive, listless, essentially empty arena with distracted "fans" who are actually more of a drain on the team than anything else?

 

[Zee]

There really isn't a way to make an isolation league a fool proof way to get the season going forward. You would need to bring the players in.  Isolate them for 14 days and then have a closed system of people coming in or out to avoid having someone bring COVID into the hockey internment camp.  There is no way to guarantee it.

Game 7 of the series coming up, right after this mandatory 14 day break as the trainer has tested positive for Covid-19!

 

[CarltonTheBear]

There really isn't a way to make an isolation league a fool proof way to get the season going forward. You would need to bring the players in.  Isolate them for 14 days and then have a closed system of people coming in or out to avoid having someone bring COVID into the hockey internment camp.  There is no way to guarantee it.

Game 7 of the series coming up, right after this mandatory 14 day break as the trainer has tested positive for Covid-19!

Here we go everyone after 14 long days of waiting Game 7 is finally set to take place here tonight and... goddamnit Brad Marchand just licked a microphone.