Do you want the NHL to resume play this season

[RobertKron]

I am not in anyway suggesting that they do this now. July, maybe august. If at all. I was merely asking why they would play in some remote place rather than the cities that have the infrastructure.

I think the idea is supposed to be that it'd be somehow easier to build the pretty significant infrastructure required than it would to ensure safety within a major population centre. This should probably be an indication that it's a bad idea in general, but I guess not.

 

[RobertKron]

It's actually shocking to read some of the ideas some people have for resuming any type of hockey game. People sure can be quite selfish when given the chance.

Players are not pawns on a chess board and are in fact actual people with families and have lives they value. To suggest some of the things that have been suggested, not just here but on the main board as well, just blows my mind. But the idea of shuttling players to Nunavut and put in complete isolation for the duration all for the sake of a game is a top contender for head shaker of the month.

But I'm bored!

 

[ChilliBilly]

I think the idea is supposed to be that it'd be somehow easier to build the pretty significant infrastructure required than it would to ensure safety within a major population centre. This should probably be an indication that it's a bad idea in general, but I guess not.

till they have an effective treatment (unlikely but) or a vaccine (could be a month or 2 years) there will be no hockey. Sad but true. Thankfully my golf course is open, but you get idiots showing up who ignore the distancing rules. We might get shut down.

 

[Motte and Bailey]

It's actually shocking to read some of the ideas some people have for resuming any type of hockey game. People sure can be quite selfish when given the chance.

Players are not pawns on a chess board and are in fact actual people with families and have lives they value. To suggest some of the things that have been suggested, not just here but on the main board as well, just blows my mind. But the idea of shuttling players to Nunavut and put in complete isolation for the duration all for the sake of a game is a top contender for head shaker of the month.

If we are going to do NHL games without crowds then it’s entirely possible and simple to do it safely right now. Selfishness doesn’t apply if it can be done safely, which it can.

So why wait? It’s totally arbitrary to say we should wait till August or July or 2021 or even 2022 as some have suggested. Your entire post is filled with nothing but knee jerk dismissiveness, empty appeals, zero substance, zero evidence, zero rationale, and zero reason to believe you put any thought into your position here.

 

[UticaHockey]

South Dakota is about two weeks away from an unmitigated disaster on its own. Maybe less than two weeks.

Yeah South Dakota was one of only five US states that did not issue any shelter in place order. The last count that I saw was 644 positive COVID cases in one Smithfield pork processing center. That's 644 cases in just one facility. Bettman better cross either of the Dakotas off his list.

 

[MikeK]

If we are going to do NHL games without crowds then it’s entirely possible and simple to do it safely right now. Selfishness doesn’t apply if it can be done safely, which it can.

So why wait? It’s totally arbitrary to say we should wait till August or July or 2021 or even 2022 as some have suggested. Your entire post is filled with nothing but knee jerk dismissiveness, empty appeals, zero substance, zero evidence, zero rationale, and zero reason to believe you put any thought into your position here.

Total BS. That suggestion is about as selfish as it gets. I don't really care what you have to say about it.

If hockey resuming in an isolated location such as Nunavut is the reality then maybe hockey shouldn't be resuming. I guarantee you there is no way that would ever happen. People seem to want to ignore the fact that the players would need to be onboard with any decision to resume. You don't seriously believe that would happen do you?

 

[Hammer79]

Another question; does the NHL actually want to go with a 'no fans in the stands' re-opening plan, considering that the NHL is really a gate league, not a TV darling. I can see leagues with massive TV contracts doing this, like MLB or the NFL, but the NHL?

What do they stand to gain?

Continuity of the season

Players and fans won't feel cheated out of the tournament, good for fan goodwill, player's morale.

Lots of new eyeballs, since there is a pro-sports drought worldwide at the moment.

What do they stand to lose?

Playoff gate/concession/parking revenue ( but they would anyway if they stayed closed)

Integrity of the tournament, as there is no playoff format that will please anyone short of playing a full 82 and not going by point %.

Another Covid-19 case among NHL players would be enough to stop the tournament in its tracks. Starting and stopping the playoffs would be disastrous, much worse than simply staying closed out of an abundance of caution. If it affects the player's ability to continue playing in the NHL (ie lung damage leads to less stamina), that's going to be a mess because the insurance company might say that the NHL didn't perform their Duty of Care to the NHL players when they re-opened.

Atmosphere - Instead of playing with emotional intensity with 18000 fans, it will feel like a scrimmage match. The only cheering will come from the benches. It's not going to have the look and feel of a tournament of its importance, it will feel like a pickup game. The fans won't be able to provide energy to the building for come-backs etc.

Visiting teams have nothing to fear, home ice advantage will mean nothing except for last change. So much for that 7th game at home you worked so hard for all year.

 

[member 290103]

Just scrap the season, allow two compliance buy outs, put all the teams in the draft lottery, and make a rule that if you have won the lottery in the past 10 years you cannot win this one.

 

[PG Canuck]

Crowds won't be allowed until 2021 if we're lucky, so the whole "but there is no crowd!!!!!" is a weird hill to die on since that isn't going to be a thing for a good while. Playing in Nunavut is also a weird hill to die on.

This is like reading Benning-related arguments. Both sides are so dramatic and take offense to everything.

Players have been proposing ideas to resume play - majority of players have said they want to play. If the teams out of the playoffs don't want to resume, then they'll have to figure something out to accommodate that and they would. Would be less teams/people to worry about anyways.

If they resume, that's great but if not, whatever.

 

[tantalum]

Crowds won't be allowed until 2021 if we're lucky, so the whole "but there is no crowd!!!!!" is a weird hill to die on since that isn't going to be a thing for a good while. Playing in Nunavut is also a weird hill to die on.

This is like reading Benning-related arguments. Both sides are so dramatic and take offense to everything.

Players have been proposing ideas to resume play - majority of players have said they want to play. If the teams out of the playoffs don't want to resume, then they'll have to figure something out to accommodate that and they would. Would be less teams/people to worry about anyways.

If they resume, that's great but if not, whatever.

I'm sure players, coaches and organizations want to play. The problem becomes that you actively have players testing positive (well on the 7th for the last avalanche player) so it becomes a minefield: How do you protect players from those that may be contagious but asymptomatic? can you have a level playing field if a team has it running through the dressing room or god forbid a couple of serious cases? Can you do it without violating local ordinances? what if someone gets really sick and dies and it is traced back to the games and lawsuits start coming?

That's the reality of the situation that companies have to deal with. It's what our company has to deal with. We'd all like to be back at our desks and in the labs but it's an extremely complicated issues that goes far beyond the employees want to work. We aren't even considering people back into buildings until at least end of May and then it will only be solitary and isolated work (which makes lab work difficult for example). The scenarios being tossed for the NHL around are rightfully looking at late summer but that is still going to be aggressive to be perfectly honest.

Yeah South Dakota was one of only five US states that did not issue any shelter in place order. The last count that I saw was 644 positive COVID cases in one Smithfield pork processing center. That's 644 cases in just one facility. Bettman better cross either of the Dakotas off his list.

While I think SD is idiotic, this was one that happens to a certain extent anyways because food processors are always going to be considered essential business. So they would have been operating...the issue is that it appears Smithfield may not have done what they should have from a corporate standpoint by enforcing social distancing, providing PPE and perhaps even covered up or ignored positive tests. Now, the state certainly didn't help matters with the policies as those policies allow it to spread outside the immediate workforce.

 

[MikeK]

Players have been proposing ideas to resume play - majority of players have said they want to play.

How can you say the "majority of players want to play"? Have they taken a PA poll and released the results publicly? There are close to 700 NHL players and so far we've only heard from a very small amount and most are of the younger generation. I'd be very interested to see what the actual % is because I'd be willing to bet it isn't the "majority".

 

[tantalum]

How can you say the "majority of players want to play"? Have they taken a PA poll and released the results publicly? There are close to 700 NHL players and so far we've only heard from a very small amount and most are of the younger generation. I'd be very interested to see what the actual % is because I'd be willing to bet it isn't the "majority".

When Larry Brooks of all people is calling the "players plan" asinine....

 

[MikeK]

When Larry Brooks of all people is calling the "players plan" asinine....

That still doesn't mean there is a majority. The NHL and the PA are doing what any business would. It will still need to be voted on. Either way, claiming there is a majority when none of us knows is just wrong.

 

[F A N]

I think in general the players want to play. But under what conditions is the question. Will they all be flown into a neutral city to play? Will they all stay at one place sort of like Olympics athlete village? Will they be away from family and kids for months?

 

[tantalum]

That still doesn't mean there is a majority. The NHL and the PA are doing what any business would. It will still need to be voted on. Either way, claiming there is a majority when none of us knows is just wrong.

of course it’ll be voted on but I personally don’t think the plan as things currently stand has a hope in hell of happening. Now a few weeks from now things may change that make it possible. However, most everything right now has school being kept online in the US until at least mid-September (starts early to mid August)...I suspect gatherings of large groups (50ish +) which a game with just players, refs and coaches is a large gathering will not be allowed yet in many states.

my Brooks thing was just something that was funny to me. This is a writer who will bend over backwards trying to make a player or union stance make sense and he simply said the idea was asinine.

 

[VanJack]

If B.C. and Ontario are any guide, large public gatherings for outdoor and indoor events will be curtailed right through summer. So the notion that the NHL will able to resume games playing games in front of 18,000 people in an indoor setting, is becoming just a flight of fancy.

So the only issue to be decided, is if Gary Bettman and the owners want to resume the season with neutral site games in empty arenas. I suppose it's a possibility. But would definitely mean a cut-off of regular season games, and moving directly to the playoff round.

But I guess every sport is facing the same dilemma. MLB, NBA and even the NFL potentially playing in empty stadiums and arenas; and with dramatically reduced schedules.

The boom times could be at an end for pro athletes. Every professional league is going to face dramatic cuts to its salary cap. Fewer long term deals; more short-term, entry level contracts; and buyouts/early retirements.

The era of six-10 year, big money contacts likely at an end--even for the superstars.

 

[bandwagonesque]

I'm sure players, coaches and organizations want to play. The problem becomes that you actively have players testing positive (well on the 7th for the last avalanche player) so it becomes a minefield: How do you protect players from those that may be contagious but asymptomatic? can you have a level playing field if a team has it running through the dressing room or god forbid a couple of serious cases? Can you do it without violating local ordinances? what if someone gets really sick and dies and it is traced back to the games and lawsuits start coming?

That's the reality of the situation that companies have to deal with. It's what our company has to deal with. We'd all like to be back at our desks and in the labs but it's an extremely complicated issues that goes far beyond the employees want to work. We aren't even considering people back into buildings until at least end of May and then it will only be solitary and isolated work (which makes lab work difficult for example). The scenarios being tossed for the NHL around are rightfully looking at late summer but that is still going to be aggressive to be perfectly honest.



While I think SD is idiotic, this was one that happens to a certain extent anyways because food processors are always going to be considered essential business. So they would have been operating...the issue is that it appears Smithfield may not have done what they should have from a corporate standpoint by enforcing social distancing, providing PPE and perhaps even covered up or ignored positive tests. Now, the state certainly didn't help matters with the policies as those policies allow it to spread outside the immediate workforce.

Proceeding from a layman's understanding of how the virus is transmitted, hockey seems like by far the sport in which transmission between athletes would be most frequent. Near-constant proximity and physical contact, hand-to-hand fights, screaming in each other's faces, players cycling on and off the bench over a dozen times per game and coming back breathing heavily and usually engaging in conversation with teammates and coaches. I mean, it couldn't really be any worse.

 

[member 290103]

Meh. Disappointing season. Likely miss the playoffs.... again. Salary cap crunched. No high draft picks.

not much to look forward too.

Cmon Johnny...we know this is all exactly as you hoped.

 

[PG Canuck]

I think in general the players want to play. But under what conditions is the question. Will they all be flown into a neutral city to play? Will they all stay at one place sort of like Olympics athlete village? Will they be away from family and kids for months?

You need proof that 753 players want to play or you will get your head ripped off.

You need proof now!

Max Pacioretty said he would play in Antarctica. Will there be players not wanting to play? Sure. I’d bet the majority that want to play would be teams that are in the playoffs and that’s really all you need anyways.

 

[604]

Proceeding from a layman's understanding of how the virus is transmitted, hockey seems like by far the sport in which transmission between athletes would be most frequent. Near-constant proximity and physical contact, hand-to-hand fights, screaming in each other's faces, players cycling on and off the bench over a dozen times per game and coming back breathing heavily and usually engaging in conversation with teammates and coaches. I mean, it couldn't really be any worse.

But we all understand that people who don't have the virus can't spread it and that if you stay completely isolated for 3 weeks, you definitely don't have it.

So, if you quarantine everyone for 3 weeks and tell them to go play, there is zero percent chance that anyone has it.

It really breaks down to whether players want to quarantine for 3 weeks individually then as a group for as long as it takes to play out the season and playoffs.

The revenue would be the TV revenue that the league would generate with 50% of that going to the players.

For most players, with short careers, giving up a year of their career would seem tough. I don't see a way to have crowds at games until a vaccine is developed and distributed (i.e. at least a year). Given that the season ended suddenly, there is a good chance that players have financial commitments that they currently can't afford.

It seems like a no brainer that, in general, players would agree to self quarantine for three weeks then quarantine with each other for 3-4 months to play out the season. They would then repeat this in the fall until the vaccine is available. A lot of people live seperate from their families and loved ones for work.

Oddly, I think the guys really winning in all of this is Sportsnet and TSN. Most people have not cancelled their cable subscriptions yet they don't really have to pay much for the crap content they are showing.

 

[MikeK]

of course it’ll be voted on but I personally don’t think the plan as things currently stand has a hope in hell of happening. Now a few weeks from now things may change that make it possible. However, most everything right now has school being kept online in the US until at least mid-September (starts early to mid August)...I suspect gatherings of large groups (50ish +) which a game with just players, refs and coaches is a large gathering will not be allowed yet in many states.

my Brooks thing was just something that was funny to me. This is a writer who will bend over backwards trying to make a player or union stance make sense and he simply said the idea was asinine.

All good. I got the humor in it.

I just didn't like PG Canuck claiming "majority of players" when we've only heard from a handful of players compared to the almost 700 that are in the league. That really bugged me. Truth is none of us knows how many players are interested in resuming and I have serious doubts it's a "majority" when there are serious health risks involved.

This idea that the majority of players would be onboard with resuming in some isolated neutral location is garbage. We've really only heard from a very small % of the PA and most of them have been in their early 20s. I would like to hear from the 30somethings who have children and families at home. I suspect we've heard very little from that group because they have no interest in putting themselves and their families in that situation.

I get that we're all going through hockey withdrawals but some people are really reaching for hockey to resume and not being realistic. Players are not going to resume at any cost and suggesting an isolated location such as Nunavut is ridiculous. If that is the type of location that is needed I guarantee hockey won't be resuming.

 

[Jyrki21]

But we all understand that people who don't have the virus can't spread it and that if you stay completely isolated for 3 weeks, you definitely don't have it.

I don't know that we actually know enough to say this is true, do we?

Plus, anything less than 100% true, Ebola-style quarantine (no food deliveries, no mail, no groceries, no venturing outside, no contact even with familiar people) and there are leaks in the system. Hell, my family and I have barely left the house in weeks and yet we all keep repeatedly getting colds... it is clearly not airtight unless it is, basically, literally airtight.

 

[PG Canuck]

All good. I got the humor in it.

I just didn't like PG Canuck claiming "majority of players" when we've only heard from a handful of players compared to the almost 700 that are in the league. That really bugged me. Truth is none of us knows how many players are interested in resuming and I have serious doubts it's a "majority" when there are serious health risks involved.

This idea that the majority of players would be onboard with resuming in some isolated neutral location is garbage. We've really only heard from a very small % of the PA and most of them have been in their early 20s. I would like to hear from the 30somethings who have children and families at home. I suspect we've heard very little from that group because they have no interest in putting themselves and their families in that situation.

I get that we're all going through hockey withdrawals but some people are really reaching for hockey to resume and not being realistic. Players are not going to resume at any cost and suggesting an isolated location such as Nunavut is ridiculous. If that is the type of location that is needed I guarantee hockey won't be resuming.

I’m only assuming. Just as you are. Should I get riled up? No because it’s out of my control and I really don’t care what happens either way.

We don’t even hear from hockey players via social media when everything is normal, so to hear from any players right now is a miracle. Most top players on the playoff teams may want to resume if safe by the few things I’ve tried to keep up on.

Like I said, I think a lot of the playoff teams want to continue if possible, if it’s not possible, then it won’t happen. You can think the opposite. We have opinions. It’s really not anymore complicated than that.

Going to North Dakota doesn’t make any sense and is not something I am personally advocating for. NHL is now looking at two or four neutral sites.

They obviously would vote on it. No one is arguing about that. And it would have to be realistic. No one is arguing about that. Mike Trout said he doesn’t really want to play in Arizona if it means he can in my go to the field or hotel, it has to be realistic. No one is arguing that. The MLB is trying to fit a near full schedule so that is a bit different but the basis of his worries stands To be the same of NHLers. No one is arguing that.

 

[MS]

It’s interesting. Spain is still planning on finishing the La Liga season even though they’re one of the most affected countries in the world. But that competition is entirely based in a single country half the size of BC and teams could just be bussed to empty stadiums to play. Much more limited risk there and easier logistics.

Weirdly, the logistics of getting the BCHL or WHL season finished would be far easier than the NHL season, although those leagues are singularly gate driven so would have no interest in playing to empty arenas.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

[deleted]