Habs getting used to league's COVID-19 protocols on the road
The NHL has many new rules in place for teams while travelling this season because of COVID-19.
One of the rules is that players are not allowed to have anyone else in their hotel rooms, including teammates. The Washington Capitals broke that rule when Russian teammates Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov and Ilya Samsonov gathered with captain Alex Ovechkin in his hotel room during their season-opening four-game road trip. The four players will now miss at least four games while quarantining in accordance with NHL COVID-19 protocols. The Capitals were also fined US$100,000 by the NHL for the social interactions among team members who were in close contact and who were not wearing face coverings.
“I regret my choice to spend time together with my teammates in our hotel room and away from the locker room areas,” Ovechkin said in a statement. “I will learn from this experience.”
Another restriction is that players are no longer allowed to play cards on their charter flights, which was a favourite pastime.
“I'm really missing the cards on the plane,” the Canadiens' Brendan
Gallagher said with a grin during a video conference Thursday from Vancouver. “I'm used to beating Tuna (Tomas Tatar) and seeing the anger in his eyes. So I miss that.”
The Canadiens had their second of three straight games against the Canucks in Vancouver Thursday night on the final stop of their sixgame road trip to start the season.
Gallagher said he had seen the statement about the Capitals situation, adding: “I'm not all that familiar with it.” But he is aware of the COVID-19 protocols put in place this season by the NHL and how they have changed life on the road for players, who are basically stuck in their hotel and can't go out for dinner, etc.
“Being on the road is something that you really look forward to,” Gallagher said. "It's just a good time with the guys … one of the best times of the year. So we don't have that. But, at the same time, the travel is something we can't really complain about. Playing three games in the same city is really nice for us players. There's some good, there's some bad, and I think every team's dealing with the same thing. Just some adjustments that you got to make throughout the year.”
Gallagher was born in Edmonton, moved with his family to the
Vancouver area when he was 12, played four seasons of junior hockey with the Vancouver Giants and spends his off-seasons in B.C. A trip to Western Canada is always a homecoming for him, but it's different this year.
“It is a little bit tough,” he said. "I love coming out here. It's always fun for a couple of reasons. Obviously, when you're a younger kid, you know I grew up watching NHL games in these buildings, speaking of Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver. That was my childhood. So it's fun to play here still. It's a little bit tough not having your family and friends come to the game. But, at the same time, last night was the first time I ever scored in this building (Vancouver's Rogers Arena) in the NHL. So I might tell my family they're not allowed back.”
The Canadiens will wrap up their road trip Saturday when they play the Canucks again (7 p.m., CBC, CITY, SN, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM). They will fly back to Montreal on Sunday and play their home opener next Thursday night at the Bell Centre against the Calgary Flames. It will be the first of five straight home games for the Canadiens.