NHL playoff season comes with plenty of on-ice questions - The Boston Globe
Maybe it’s all the time I’ve spent looking at the same walls the last 11 weeks, but I find it hard to gripe about the NHL’s playoff plan.
If the Bruins or Blues are bothered by the thought of slipping from No. 1 to No. 4 with a poor round-robin showing, they have the right. If the Flyers and Capitals are incensed by the thought of the Penguins, No. 7 in the NHL standings, losing a play-in series and getting a shot at
Alexis Lafreniere, well, no shame in that. After selling at the deadline, the Blackhawks or Canadiens could win the Stanley Cup? Sure. Let’s get wild.
All this weirdness means we’re inching closer to normalcy, even if I still have my doubts we see hockey until 2021. Just happy to have it back (potentially, if everyone stays smart about it).
What was laid out this past week is as comprehensive as we can expect, given the state of our pandemic-addled world.
This league has never frozen with 85 percent of its season complete, amid a virus that has trampled some cities and affected the personal and financial health of millions, and then tried to thaw again. I recognize that sports are an escape for many people, but entering the weekend, this virus had killed more than 360,000 worldwide, more than 104,000 in the United States, more than 6,800 in Canada. The numbers are chilling, and inescapable.
Without a vaccine in place, they’re going to try this. Let’s hope they are cautious and transparent as they do so.
Around this time last year, the NHL was excited about the progress of its TV presentation, and we’ve seen bits and pieces of its player-tracking future. How much of it is ready for prime time? Will they crank up the sports betting dial?
As for the in-house look, speaking on an NHL podcast this past week, head of content
Steve Mayer panned the idea of cardboard cutouts in the stands. He hinted game rinks could resemble outdoor Winter Classics, which are dotted with visual candy.
“You’re going to see cameras in places we’ve never put them before,” Mayer said. “All these things we’ve wanted to do, we’re going to give them a try.”
More interesting: I would love to hear unfiltered commentary from players, on the ice and in the stands.
This was an exciting week for the sport, and many players will be raring to go. Those with families have more to consider. There are numerous executives, staffers, and some coaches in the 65-and-over risk group, including Dallas interim coach
Rick Bowness. Some have underlying health conditions. The Canadiens’
Max Domi, the Wild’s
Luke Kunin, and the Rangers’
Kaapo Kakko have Type 1 diabetes. Carolina’s
Brett Pesce has asthma. Florida’s
Brian Boyle had leukemia treatments two years ago. The CDC considers all of those COVID-19 risk factors.
Woburn trainer
Mike Boyle has a message to players returning to the ice, who will stress skating muscles after weeks of dormancy:
“If you try to fast-track this, you’re going to fast-track injuries," he said. "There’s no way to make this happen fast.”
Though the proposed schedule is fluid, NHLers won’t have months to get in shape for the heat of playoff hockey. The average muscle strain, Boyle said, needs two to three weeks to heal.
“It’s natural that your competitive instinct will kick in,” said Boyle, formerly of the Bruins and Boston University, who trains Sabres captain
Jack Eicheland other north-of-Boston pros. “This is completely unprecedented. We’ve never shut down for two months. Take your time.”
Bruins captain
Zdeno Chara, in his 22nd season, estimated he hasn’t been off skates for this long in his career.