Boston Globe Bruins voice Jack Edwards not optimistic NHL will be able to finish season

[Fenway]

Bruins voice Jack Edwards not optimistic NHL will be able to finish season - The Boston Globe

Edwards is blunt when it comes to assessing whether the NHL will return this season. He believes that the season will not resume, and the Bruins’ opportunity to win their first Stanley Cup since 2011 will not come this year.

“I hesitate to talk in the present tense,’’ he said, “because I think this season is gone.”

Edwards said he and his family have many friends who work in medicine, including a nurse at Mass. General and a friend from high school whose daughter is a doctor in New York.

Conversations with them quickly made him realize that the season probably was over.

“The more you talk to people who are in the hot spots or close to the hot spots,’’ Edwards said, “the more you realize how vicious and unpredictable this virus is, because of the contagion factor before you start showing symptoms. I quickly got pessimistic about the resumption of the season.

“If you watch the replays of the 2011 games on NESN, you notice and remember the atmosphere at TD Garden, and how much inadvertent expectoration there is, and how much saliva and beer there is everywhere, you realize how much of a bomb that could be.

"It’s going to be a long time before we can get people together like that again.”

Edwards said it would be foolhardy for the NHL to try to cram in the playoffs during the summer, for logistical reasons, but also for the sake of the players’ health.

“Say the Stanley Cup Final ends on Labor Day,’’ he said. “Do you go right back into action in the first week of October and ask the star players, the finalists, to play 130 games in a calendar year? That’s just idiocy, because you’re putting at risk the greatest equity the owners have, which is the players.

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[Estlin]

Edwards is right. I can't see any organized sports resuming until there is a vaccine available, and there may very well be a second and/or third wave of COVID-19 before one does become available.

 

[Hamilton Brian]

Nor should it resume. The message is...no more than a gathering of 5, and keep your physical distance. That contravenes the message. I'm having a battle with my wife right now because my mother in law wants to cook a dinner and have the other 7 of us over there...3 inside the house, and 5 outside. IT IS AGAINST THE LAW. Jesus, I don't know why people can't get it.

 

[EvilDead]

Edwards is right. I can't see any organized sports resuming until there is a vaccine available, and there may very well be a second and/or third wave of COVID-19 before one does become available.

That may be coming down the pike a lot sooner than people think. In Seattle they are in phase two of testing a vaccine for the virus.

 

[caz16]

Good for Jack, it needs to be said. I am very disappointed because our Bruins had a really good chance at winning it all this season. The sooner the NHL admits this, the better. Like the Olympics, it is a pipe dream. Just rip the bandaid off.

 

[BigGoalBrad]

I mean sure events are at the back of the list but there is no reason these guys can’t earn their millions playing in empty arenas.

 

[Rubber Biscuit]

I mean sure events are at the back of the list but there is no reason these guys can’t earn their millions playing in empty arenas.

Other than the actual logistics of running something like that, of course

 

[Estlin]

I'll just post here what I posted in the main COVID thread:

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

 

[member 96824]

I mean sure events are at the back of the list but there is no reason these guys can’t earn their millions playing in empty arenas.

There’s no reason? Off the top I have a few questions.

How much do you think that would cost the owners night in and night out? It’s certainly not a profitable endeavor.
Are the players immune to COVID-19? How about the trainers? Arena staff?
How does the travel from city to city impact the spread?
Do they quarantine off the ice at all times?
What’s the upside?
Who’s legally liable if someone contracts COVID-19? Is the team being negligible by not following known measures?

 

[KnightofBoston]

I think he’s right but I hope they do something that makes this season not a waste

 

[BigGoalBrad]

There’s no reason? Off the top I have a few questions.

How much do you think that would cost the owners night in and night out? It’s certainly not a profitable endeavor.
Are the players immune to COVID-19? How about the trainers? Arena staff?
How does the travel from city to city impact the spread?
Do they quarantine off the ice at all times?
What’s the upside?
Who’s legally liable if someone contracts COVID-19? Is the team being negligible by not following known measures?

Respectfully I think this is too extreme a position we are talking about 20 something professional athletes. They will be tested once and be OK to be around each other. They aren’t vulnerable or at risk. There will be nowhere open for them to go when they aren’t playing they’ll just hang with each other at the hotel.

Spring training model is a great idea. NBA in Vegas works. NHL in Grand Forks and Manchester.

 

[member 96824]

Respectfully I think this is too extreme a position we are talking about 20 something professional athletes. They will be tested once and be OK to be around each other. They aren’t vulnerable or at risk. There will be nowhere open for them to go when they aren’t playing they’ll just hang with each other at the hotel.

Spring training model is a great idea. NBA in Vegas works. NHL in Grand Forks and Manchester.

We’re talking about 620 players before counting scratches, team staff, arena staff, etc.

They aren’t vulnerable or at risk? Of what..dying? Sure if your line is “well they aren’t dying so they should be entertaining me.” How do the games look when 5 Bruins are on the sidelines with COVID-19?

I want hockey as much as the next guy, but I think we have to probably trust that if there was “no reason” as you said, the league would already be acting on it.

 

[chizzler]

Of course the season is over. NBA and NHL are done. Jack isn’t lying. MLB and NFL take note. Things can open up eventually with precautions in place, but any sports event can’t practice distancing. They will be empty. Most likely a vaccine will be ready by the end of the year.

 

[BigGoalBrad]

We’re talking about 620 players before counting scratches, team staff, arena staff, etc.

They aren’t vulnerable or at risk? Of what..dying? Sure if your line is “well they aren’t dying so they should be entertaining me.” How do the games look when 5 Bruins are on the sidelines with COVID-19?

I want hockey as much as the next guy, but I think we have to probably trust that if there was “no reason” as you said, the league would already be acting on it.

I don’t have all the answers and it’s still less than a month in but those are the 620 healthiest people on the planet. Not 620 at risk folks in nursing homes or hospitals. And I’m sure the precautions everyone NHL would have would more than exceed what nurses and other HCPs have right now who actually face a risk. They played games for a couple weeks while this had been going around and only a handful of cases across the league and that was with zero precautions. Perfect is the enemy of good.

 

[Baddkarma]

Dont some of the Bruins go to China in the summer/preseason? For all we know most of them were exposed already. Be interesting to see what testing results would yield.

 

[Gee Wally]

Dont some of the Bruins go to China in the summer/preseason? For all we know most of them were exposed already. Be interesting to see what testing results would yield.

been reported that none have tested positive.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

There’s no reason? Off the top I have a few questions.

How much do you think that would cost the owners night in and night out? It’s certainly not a profitable endeavor.
Are the players immune to COVID-19? How about the trainers? Arena staff?
How does the travel from city to city impact the spread?
Do they quarantine off the ice at all times?
What’s the upside?
Who’s legally liable if someone contracts COVID-19? Is the team being negligible by not following known measures?

I'll have a crack at answering these:

How much do you think that would cost the owners night in and night out? It’s certainly not a profitable endeavor.

The money that could be made from TV rights and advertising when there is a massive captive audience desperate for entertainment and diversion should be significant. Obviously the sums would have to be done properly, but I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if it allowed the teams to at least break even with their expenses.

Are the players immune to COVID-19? How about the trainers? Arena staff?

No.

How does the travel from city to city impact the spread?
Do they quarantine off the ice at all times?

They don't travel from place to place. What you do is run the playoffs like an international tournament. The East teams all go to one location and the West to another. Every team and their support staff stays and are fed in a hotel. They only leave that hotel to practice and play games. When a team is knocked out they go home. Games are played in empty arenas with only minimal media present. Players and staff are given medical checks before they arrive at the locations and periodically during the playoffs. The finalists come together for the SCFs at whatever venue best suits. In terms of length with some modifications a 6-week tournament is not unrealistic and would still result in a worthy champion. Obviously even this method is not completely virus-proof. There would still be risks from the people that players would have to interact with in the hotels, obtaining meals etc. But they would be low because the teams would essentially be quarantined as much as possible from the outside world, and would not be travelling all over the place constantly going through airports etc. It's potentially viable.

What’s the upside?

We get sport back on TV, giving millions of people a boost and something to enjoy. It shouldn't be underestimated how potentially important that is to people's wellbeing. We get a Stanley Cup winner. We'll also get NBA playoffs, since it's going to be both or none.

Who’s legally liable if someone contracts COVID-19? Is the team being negligible by not following known measures?

Players are employees. Many of us still go in to work every day, despite the risks. That's what we're paid to do. Athletes shouldn't be treated any differently. The players can be given the right to opt-out of the playoffs with no loss of income if they make that choice. But I guarantee that 99% of them will play with the Cup on the line. As long as everyone follows procedure then if someone does get infected it's just bad luck, as it would be for anyone else. Obviously, if there is a case of gross negligence then that could be pursued by the usual legal methods. But it shouldn't come to that.

I understand why a lot of people find it ludicrous to even be considering playing sport in a time of such crisis. But again it really shouldn't be undervalued as to how much good it would do people mentally to have something to watch and be invested in, even if their team isn't playing. It has to be safe and affordable, and it may well turn out that one or both of those criteria isn't possible, in which case it simply won't happen. But if it can be, then the leagues shouldn't be afraid to do things differently and be creative in finding and implementing a playoffs solution.

 

[Baddkarma]

been reported that none have tested positive.

Thanks Wally. Good to know.

 

[member 96824]

I'll have a crack at answering these:

How much do you think that would cost the owners night in and night out? It’s certainly not a profitable endeavor.

The money that could be made from TV rights and advertising when there is a massive captive audience desperate for entertainment and diversion should be significant. Obviously the sums would have to be done properly, but I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if it allowed the teams to at least break even with their expenses.

Are the players immune to COVID-19? How about the trainers? Arena staff?

No.

How does the travel from city to city impact the spread?
Do they quarantine off the ice at all times?

They don't travel from place to place. What you do is run the playoffs like an international tournament. The East teams all go to one location and the West to another. Every team and their support staff stays and are fed in a hotel. They only leave that hotel to practice and play games. When a team is knocked out they go home. Games are played in empty arenas with only minimal media present. Players and staff are given medical checks before they arrive at the locations and periodically during the playoffs. The finalists come together for the SCFs at whatever venue best suits. In terms of length with some modifications a 6-week tournament is not unrealistic and would still result in a worthy champion. Obviously even this method is not completely virus-proof. There would still be risks from the people that players would have to interact with in the hotels, obtaining meals etc. But they would be low because the teams would essentially be quarantined as much as possible from the outside world, and would not be travelling all over the place constantly going through airports etc. It's potentially viable.

What’s the upside?

We get sport back on TV, giving millions of people a boost and something to enjoy. It shouldn't be underestimated how potentially important that is to people's wellbeing. We get a Stanley Cup winner. We'll also get NBA playoffs, since it's going to be both or none.

Who’s legally liable if someone contracts COVID-19? Is the team being negligible by not following known measures?

Players are employees. Many of us still go in to work every day, despite the risks. That's what we're paid to do. Athletes shouldn't be treated any differently. The players can be given the right to opt-out of the playoffs with no loss of income if they make that choice. But I guarantee that 99% of them will play with the Cup on the line. As long as everyone follows procedure then if someone does get infected it's just bad luck, as it would be for anyone else. Obviously, if there is a case of gross negligence then that could be pursued by the usual legal methods. But it shouldn't come to that.

I understand why a lot of people find it ludicrous to even be considering playing sport in a time of such crisis. But again it really shouldn't be undervalued as to how much good it would do people mentally to have something to watch and be invested in, even if their team isn't playing. It has to be safe and affordable, and it may well turn out that one or both of those criteria isn't possible, in which case it simply won't happen. But if it can be, then the leagues shouldn't be afraid to do things differently and be creative in finding and implementing a playoffs solution.

Most of that has been debunked here: https://www.si.com/mlb/2020/04/10/sports-arent-coming-back-soon

the bolded..you don’t think when everyone under the sun is advising social distancing because of how easily this virus is spread, sending the players, team staff, arena staff out to play a game would fall under gross negligence?

But your answer to what’s the upside isn’t enough...not at all. If you’d like an example of what can go wrong, look no further than the 550 service men and women at sea aboard the USS Roosevelt.

I get it..people are bored at home and want to be entertained, but as Krejci reminded us a couple years back, they’re not animals. Nor are the team staff, nor are the arena staff, nor are the hotel staff, nor is anyone else that we’re suggesting get back out there just so I can watch a hockey game on my TV.

 

[JHockey14]

been reported that none have tested positive.

the big unknown for me is how many people had it but had no symptoms. What is that number. Are there 100,00 people who have already been exposed and contracted the virus with no symptoms or is it 100 million. No one knows. And until we can test for that it’s hard to peg an accurate mortality rate and recovery rate. We know how many people who have taken the test and tested positive and how many of those people have passed. Until we can answer that question or find a vaccine it’s hard to make any call on what the coming months will bring. But I’m a helicopter mechanic behind a keyboard. You would probably know better than I

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

I wish Jack was a columnist and not a PbP guy. He’s as smart and articulate as anyone when he conveys his thoughts calmly and rationally.

It’s when he gets hyped up and way too into putting on a show that I can’t stand him.

Unlike some of the other Edwards detractors, I like how he appreciates and thinks the game for the most part, especially the business/management side of it. Comes off as very even keeled. Polar opposite of how he sounds on a lot of game nights.

Regarding this, I think he’s probably right. People are going to start going back to work but that’s all going to act as a trial run to ease back into relative “luxuries” like sporting events.

When sports do return and the Garden is packed for the first Bruins game, I will absolutely cry.

And just ask my girlfriend...I (often regrettably) never cry.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

Most of that has been debunked here: https://www.si.com/mlb/2020/04/10/sports-arent-coming-back-soon

the bolded..you don’t think when everyone under the sun is advising social distancing because of how easily this virus is spread, sending the players, team staff, arena staff out to play a game would fall under gross negligence?

But your answer to what’s the upside isn’t enough...not at all. If you’d like an example of what can go wrong, look no further than the 550 service men and women at sea aboard the USS Roosevelt.

I get it..people are bored at home and want to be entertained, but as Krejci reminded us a couple years back, they’re not animals. Nor are the team staff, nor are the arena staff, nor are the hotel staff, nor is anyone else that we’re suggesting get back out there just so I can watch a hockey game on my TV.

I was most of the way through writing a fairly lengthy response when my computer crashed and I lost it all. Sorry I don't have the heart to write it from scratch. In short I acknowledge some of the difficulties raised in the SI article but I don't agree with all of them, particularly in the context of a shorter tournament as opposed to a whole season.

I reckon it's more likely than not that the playoffs will never happen. I accept that. But I don't think it's impossible at this stage so the league, teams and players are only doing right in continuing to assess their options. I'm neither expectant nor optimistic, just open-minded.

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

the big unknown for me is how many people had it but had no symptoms. What is that number. Are there 100,00 people who have already been exposed and contracted the virus with no symptoms or is it 100 million. No one knows. And until we can test for that it’s hard to peg an accurate mortality rate and recovery rate. We know how many people who have taken the test and tested positive and how many of those people have passed. Until we can answer that question or find a vaccine it’s hard to make any call on what the coming months will bring. But I’m a helicopter mechanic behind a keyboard. You would probably know better than I

It’s unlikely any large mass of the population had it and it went undetected. That’s a fairly baseless theory mostly being pushed through the ever powerful force of confirmation bias (lots of “hey, did you have a really bad sore throat earlier this winter? Yup, probably covid” conversations). Outside of China, the developed world is all seeing cases rise at close to the same time. The idea that a novel virus with no human immunity was crawling around for months asymptomatically, or mistaken for something else, goes against all that scientists have discovered regarding this virus and pretty much all other viruses. A virus with a single digit fatality rate and a high contagion factor can essentially gain unyielding momentum shortly after its initial case because of no previously established immunity. If the virus was here four months ago, we would have been in the situation we are now a few months ago.

The first strains of any virus to a new species are almost always the deadliest. They then mutate to stay alive (as they are doing now), but increased immunity through antibody development relegates them to far less deadly status.

H1N1 is a perfect example. You’ll occasionally have some years that are particularly bad due to chance mutations and human interactions which allow the virus to gain momentum and increase in deadliness. But nothing ever does, or ever will, compare to the initial strain. The only thing that prevents them from being mass killers (at least to the scale of millions) is that we are exposed via vaccine and previous forms of the virus.

A virus such as Ebola, which is far more deadly to those who get it, hangs around because of limited overall exposure due to the fact that it kills off its host so quickly and only has time to infect the closest of contacts. “Small” outbreaks occur periodically. But it can’t ever spread in the same way that the flu or covid-19 can since it kills a higher percentage of those it infects and way faster.

 

[JOKER 192]

IDK if the NHL can figure out a way to get over all the hurdles I gotta think that PO hockey would be a major attraction/distraction for all of us who are staying home (for the most part), especially if your the only game in town. If I'm in charge , I'm turning over every rock I can find to find a way to make it happen. Not holding my breathe on this one but it sure would be a nice way to show case the product.

 

[since76]

I work on emergency group in quebec for covid-19 and the more realistic prediction is to control the virus is december 2020. Can we get vaccine before ? I really hope, but i really think we will not see nhl actions before 2021 with a short season.
My most important question is ?
If season is cançelled how to be fair with all teams ?! Why if better teams can’t get their chance for the cup the worst team like habs and winfs should get better draft position ?
If season if cancelled everything should be cançelled inccluding draft position.
So the draft should be a completly free draft with same chances for every team...if not it is very unfair