Tuukka Rask does not expect any problems to live under the same roof as his rivals.
He’s not so sure about everyone else.
“I don’t have too many enemies in the league because you’re a goalkeeper and you’re only on an island,” said Boston Bruins’ seasoned netminder, who shares a locker room with Star Winger and well-known pest Brad Marchand. “But for some of my teammates it could be different.
“If you’re playing a seven game playoff series and there’s a bit of heat between the teams … you’re probably not playing table tennis together at the hotel.”
The 24 clubs that will compete against the NHL at the restart of the NHL season, which was interrupted in mid-March, will travel to the capitals of Toronto and Edmonton, where players and coaches will be kept in a bubble away from the public in the hope of COVID -19 to keep in check – on Sunday.
The teams will be accommodated in two hotels on each market, which could lead to an interesting dynamic in the restaurants, lounges and other public areas. There is a long list of rules regarding physical distance, and each 52-person tour group has its own space to prepare and relax, but there’s a good chance of some uncomfortable moments in which hundreds of NHLers try Reaching Stanley Cup live close by.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets, for example, are two out of ten franchise companies that both stay in the same complex and are ready to meet in the best-of-five qualifying round for a place in the usual playoffs with 16 teams .
“It will definitely be something new,” said Leaf defender Jake Muzzin. “I don’t know what it’s going to be. We’ll find out when we’re there.”
The St. Louis Blues Center Ryan O’Reilly, whose team will begin defending their title in the Western Conference round robin tournament to determine the top 4 seeds on this side of the bracket in Edmonton, said it was strange Meeting someone you know banged their heads the next morning at a hotel game.
“Once you hit the ice, it’s a war,” he said. “I don’t think it will be too friendly around the bubble.”
Washington Capitals defender John Carlson and his teammates will be staying in the same Toronto hotel as the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Bruins, but see no real tension.
“Seeing a lot of your playoff opponents wouldn’t be a normal feeling, but we’re all professionals,” he said. “We are all grateful that we can be in this bubble and play hockey at this point. There will be a lot of adjustments across the board, and that will certainly be something we haven’t seen before.” . “
Flames Center Mikael Backlund compared his experience at the World Championships in the same hotel as Calgary’s opponents in the qualifying round – the Winnipeg Jets.
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“It’s going to be even more difficult now because we’re going to play against a team,” said Backlund. “To see her in the hallway and you had a battle or something, maybe not too happy to see a guy.”
Capitals’ head coach, Todd Reirden, said the idea of being anywhere near an opponent outside the ice had been frowned upon during his playing time.
“They were always careful not to be in the same hotel as another team,” he said. “But that’s what it takes. We are all just happy to be able to play hockey and provide entertainment in such a situation – try to go back to normal in our world.”
“There may be some heads down, occasionally staring down with some opponents, but I don’t really expect it too much.”
The fact is that hockey times have changed. The strong dislike among players of past generations has largely disappeared. During and after the season there is a lot more conviviality away from the ice rink.
“If you had presented me with this (hub) scenario 20 years ago, I would say that the chance of a fist fight in the lobby is better,” joked Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice.
However, Claude Julien, Montreal Canadiens’ counterpart, will not be surprised if something happens at some point during the resumption of the game, which is set to get going on August 1st and could last the first week of October.
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“There used to be a lot of hostility,” said Julien, who played 12 professional seasons. “You might even see this in these series if we go forward here where there will be some hostility. Who knows what will happen in the hotels? We’ll see that over time. We wouldn’t do it.” I don’t dare to look at the other team. When we did that, there was a dirty look.
“Hopefully when we arrive at the hotel, we won’t need a referee or bodyguard to end some fights.”
Each bubble gets 14 restaurants
The NHL has released details for hub cities and in-game presentation as it is scheduled to restart in Edmonton and Toronto next month.
In a video released by the league, the NHL revealed its health and safety plan, as well as information about television programs and player facilities, during a period when fans are not allowed into the arenas.
NHL personnel in the blisters are to be separated from the public during the pandemic as part of an agreement with the federal government.
The NHL says it will use DynaLIFE Medical Labs in Edmonton and LifeLabs in Toronto for daily COVID-19 tests.
Each bubble has 14 restaurants for players and staff and there is a concierge service for players to get delivery.
The BMO Field in Toronto – usually home to the FC Toronto of the MLS and the Argonauts of the CFL – is part of the bubble and serves as an outdoor leisure facility.
Four-time Grammy winner Michael Buble will perform the national anthems for the opening games on August 1st.
The video game company EA Sports will cause public noise, and the NHL plans to use each team’s goal horns and chants to improve the atmosphere.
