Will there be another game played this season??
- Thread starter Spektre
- Start date
AjaxManifesto
Pro sports is becoming predictable and boring
It's a shame, but if you look through history, this is a large scale historical event like many of the others. Hockey gets played between these historical spikes.
I thought about that.
It all depends on the players. Even without an audience, the players are still putting themselves at risk. I could see the NHLPA rejecting that idea.
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mk80
Registered User
- Jul 30, 2012
- 8,024
- 8,547
I think it depends on the trajectory of the curves going into May. April is going to be the worst month by far where areas start hitting their peaks. However if the cases are the downward side of the bell curve going into May (I think social distancing measures will be extended through the end of May) and continue to trend down throughout the month, the NHL might see about restarting at least without fans around a mid June time frame.
There's many variables at play with the virus itself, the different levels of government/ public health responses, the NHLPA agreeing to proposed scenarios, etc.
I'm trying to remain positive that we see some resolution of the season with fans packing the arenas this summer, because that would mean the world would be in a much better position with the state of the virus than it is now. But it's possible the puck doesn't drop until next season, or god forbid longer than that too.
There's many variables at play with the virus itself, the different levels of government/ public health responses, the NHLPA agreeing to proposed scenarios, etc.
I'm trying to remain positive that we see some resolution of the season with fans packing the arenas this summer, because that would mean the world would be in a much better position with the state of the virus than it is now. But it's possible the puck doesn't drop until next season, or god forbid longer than that too.
- Feb 12, 2008
- 19,346
- 8,877
I would be shocked if Cup is awarded in 2020. With no cure and no vaccine, just doesn’t seem like there is safe way to do it. There might not even be season next year.
Robb_K
Registered User
I don't think there will be any more regular season games. But maybe there will be a VERY short playoffs with no spectators, but just the TV revenue, maybe played in August. I'll probably still be in L.A. by then, or my ashes will be floating around in the ocean. I don't own a burial plot.
Brockon
Cautiously optimistic realist when caffeinated.
Unless the NHL decides that finishing the 2019-20 season with an abridged playoff format is more important than having close to a full 2020-21 season, I don't see how another game is played.
I don't expect larger scale crowd gatherings (100 people) to be permitted before July. The focus is currently on flattening the curve. Until we're on the decline on the other side, restrictions on large scale events will hold. Which means we need to reach the peak and ride it out, plus see a significant decline in new and existing cases - which can't be quantified accurately, so they need to play it safe or risk a second/third wave outbreak.
Even if you take out the attending crowd an NHL game needs: 3 officials, 38 players, an emergency backup goalie, 2 coaches, 2 assistant coaches, 2 team medics, 2 equipment guys, 2 team doctors, 4-6 play by play guys, 2-4 for the camera crew and 2 rink staff (Zamboni driver, plus a helper in case the glass needs repairs). That's 60 staff/players at an absolute barebone minimum.
I'd go as far as saying that you likely have more than one team medic (at least an additional athletic therapist or 2 per team), team equipment guy and 2 rink staff. That's no ice crew to scrape the ice during tv breaks. No security in the building. I'd be surprised if a low staffed event had under 75 people in the arena when attempting to minimize the number of people working.
At what point does the government allow gatherings for 75+ people on a regular basis? Additionally, you're going to be gathering players and staff from all across North America - which means flying across borders which isn't currently permitted without a self isolation period...
Realistically, you'd be gathering all the teams in one place, doing a quarantine for 2 weeks and then giving them a training camp for a week, plus playing the playoff format. What city has NHL size ice and is isolated enough to make players and staff from 16-20 teams (approx 30 staff per org, without extra - we're talking accommodations for over 600 people) feel safe gathering in the current times?
I think we're months out from seeing small gatherings of 10-25 people being permitted. I don't foresee hockey happening before September (with all teams needing a training camp to get back up to speed), at which point the league is better off proceeding with the 2020-21 season than holding playoffs delaying the next season by at least 2 weeks to hold a single elimination 20 team format (5 rounds, including the final with a bye for division leaders to the 3rd round). Any kind of proper series delays the next season by months instead of weeks.
I think the league will desperately look for a way to not write off the 100+ games of the 2019-20 regular season and playoffs revenue, but I don't foresee them finding a way to do so if restrictions on travel and gatherings aren't beginning to lift before May or June.
I don't expect larger scale crowd gatherings (100 people) to be permitted before July. The focus is currently on flattening the curve. Until we're on the decline on the other side, restrictions on large scale events will hold. Which means we need to reach the peak and ride it out, plus see a significant decline in new and existing cases - which can't be quantified accurately, so they need to play it safe or risk a second/third wave outbreak.
Even if you take out the attending crowd an NHL game needs: 3 officials, 38 players, an emergency backup goalie, 2 coaches, 2 assistant coaches, 2 team medics, 2 equipment guys, 2 team doctors, 4-6 play by play guys, 2-4 for the camera crew and 2 rink staff (Zamboni driver, plus a helper in case the glass needs repairs). That's 60 staff/players at an absolute barebone minimum.
I'd go as far as saying that you likely have more than one team medic (at least an additional athletic therapist or 2 per team), team equipment guy and 2 rink staff. That's no ice crew to scrape the ice during tv breaks. No security in the building. I'd be surprised if a low staffed event had under 75 people in the arena when attempting to minimize the number of people working.
At what point does the government allow gatherings for 75+ people on a regular basis? Additionally, you're going to be gathering players and staff from all across North America - which means flying across borders which isn't currently permitted without a self isolation period...
Realistically, you'd be gathering all the teams in one place, doing a quarantine for 2 weeks and then giving them a training camp for a week, plus playing the playoff format. What city has NHL size ice and is isolated enough to make players and staff from 16-20 teams (approx 30 staff per org, without extra - we're talking accommodations for over 600 people) feel safe gathering in the current times?
I think we're months out from seeing small gatherings of 10-25 people being permitted. I don't foresee hockey happening before September (with all teams needing a training camp to get back up to speed), at which point the league is better off proceeding with the 2020-21 season than holding playoffs delaying the next season by at least 2 weeks to hold a single elimination 20 team format (5 rounds, including the final with a bye for division leaders to the 3rd round). Any kind of proper series delays the next season by months instead of weeks.
I think the league will desperately look for a way to not write off the 100+ games of the 2019-20 regular season and playoffs revenue, but I don't foresee them finding a way to do so if restrictions on travel and gatherings aren't beginning to lift before May or June.
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I said no cause I think the NBA is going to lead the way and cancel their season. Someone has to step up first and break the ice, if that don’t happen then watch the NBA kill sports for the rest of the year. I do applaud the NFL for hanging tough. They still have opening day as their target date, but we’ll see how that goes. If the NBA shuts down, I don’t see how other sports have any other choice but to follow suit.
jura
booze & blues
CaliforniaBlues310
Registered User
Regular season? Nah. Playoffs? Maybe, but not likely. As mentioned before, I think it really depends on how April goes.
I think best case would be beginning of July, but I don’t know if the NHL will eventually buckle on their stand to have a full 82 game season next year or not. If not, I doubt there will be playoffs, but if so, I think it happens.
MLB is looking at an 100 game season if July 1st is actually feasible, and god I hope that happens.
NFL should be fine to play without fans at first, but we’ll see.
I think best case would be beginning of July, but I don’t know if the NHL will eventually buckle on their stand to have a full 82 game season next year or not. If not, I doubt there will be playoffs, but if so, I think it happens.
MLB is looking at an 100 game season if July 1st is actually feasible, and god I hope that happens.
NFL should be fine to play without fans at first, but we’ll see.
Bring Back Bucky
Registered User
Not happening. I prefer to be realistic.
There is no chance in hell there's going to be hockey this season. Maybe things will look good enough to start next season in October or November but that's the most we can wish for at this point.
Brockon
Cautiously optimistic realist when caffeinated.
I think my rather large speculative post earlier sums up why we're not going to be seeing any hockey before June at the earliest. But, you don't seem to be acknowledging the logic in my assumptions there, so I'll recap and elaborate.
We're flattening the curve. We haven't hit the peak yet. Until we're clearly on the decline large scale gatherings aren't happening. Especially given the 2 week incubation period, where infected people show minimal symptoms - tracking new cases isn't done accurately, so there will be a buffer added onto the pressumed safe date to prevent a second or third wave outbreak undoing everything... Each game requires a barebone minimum of 60 players/staff and likely closer to 75. This fits the government's description of a large gathering, which it isn't tolerating...
To host an abridged playoff format will require finding a host city for the entirety of the playoffs able to accommodate 600+ people (approx 30 staff/players per organization from 20 teams) in isolation for 2 weeks to self isolate and then conduct a week long training camp to get back to game speed (because players & staff are coming from all around North America - read travel from out of country, the self-isolation is mandatory). If this process were to start tommorow (which the NHL would have advertised everywhere for the past week or two) we would see the first game played on April 26th...
Ergo, we're not seeing NHL hockey played in April. Your optimism is commendable, but isn't realistic.
I don't think we see hockey before July, because I don't expect large gatherings to be permitted prior to June, add 3 weeks in and we're staring at the beginning of summer.
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