National Post (National Edition)
Navigating the finer points of how to get NHL on ice
Some opting to train at home during Phase 2
The key word is optional. When the NHL issued guidelines to the NHLPA on Sunday night for its expected transition to Phase 2 of returning to play next month, the overriding message was explicit: when the league opens its rinks, player participation is “strictly voluntary.”
That means that players are not required to return to the team-based cities and skate with their teammates. They can remain where they have been spending the past two months and continue working out on their own or with players from another team.
“We again emphasize that player participation in Phase 2 is strictly voluntary,” said the memo, obtained by Postmedia News. “In addition, Clubs are not permitted to require players to return to the club’s home city so they can complete a quarantine requirement in time to participate in Phase 2.”
Of course, after more than two months in isolation, who really wants to spend another month skating on your own? Well, it depends on where you are living. For players who are currently outside of the country they play in — either in North America or in Europe — staying put has the advantage of avoiding the mandatory 14-day quarantine upon crossing an international border.
After all, there’s no point in rushing back if you have to spend the next two weeks locked inside again.
“Technically, they don’t have to come back to their facilities,” said player agent Dan Milstein. “I already have a number of (Florida-based) clients who are saying that they are going to practice in the Fort Lauderdale facility. I don’t see my guys going to their cities until later. One said he would go there on June 15.”
Another agent said the situation of transitioning into Phase 2 is not unlike when teams hold optional skates at the end of the summer. At first, it might only be local players who attend. But as it gets closer and closer to the start of training camp, more players start filtering in.
In other words, we might not see full rosters until the league decides on a date for the start of the post-season. Even then, don’t be surprised if some wait right up until the first day of training camp.
“That’s a good analogy,” said Lewis Gross, who represents Toronto’s Rasmus Sandin and William Nylander, who are in Sweden and the U.S., respectively. “Everybody’s situation is different. You have to quarantine no matter what. Rasmus has ice in Sweden and he’s working out and skating there, so he won’t be coming back in the next week or so.”
Perhaps the bigger issue remains player safety.
Just because the league is preparing for Phase 2 and has settled upon a 24-team post-season format that will hopefully begin in July or August, does not actually mean that the virus has abated or that it’s safe to socialize in large groups. People are still contracting COVID-19 at an alarming rate. Some countries or provinces and states have relaxed their social distancing rules. Others aren’t there yet. Going to the grocery store — never mind sharing a training facility with a full roster of players and support staff — carries significant risks.
“I think everybody is anxious to get back,” said agent Don Meehan, “but everybody is concerned over the safety regulations.”
“We have some vets who are concerned,” said Millstein, who has many clients in Europe, where the social distancing rules are different than in North America. “How are they going to get to the city where they play? Where are they going to eat? What’s the testing like? Are they going to get the Coronavirus? There are a lot of questions that need to be answered.”
Most players, of course, will take this cue from the league as a sign that things are moving in the right direction. From there, expect a snowball effect.
Voluntary or not, hockey players will not stay idle or isolated for long. As any hockey coach knows, if you want to give players a break from practice, the last thing you do is make it optional. Players don’t know the meaning of the word. All it takes is for one to start skating and soon enough the entire team will be out there.
“Let’s be honest, you can have all the rules you want but for the most part you’re going to adhere to what the rest your teammates are doing,” said agent Rick Curran. “If you’re a professional athlete, the litmus test is always your teammates. That’s the most important group. We know how pointless optional practices are. I’ve got to believe that guys are going to want to get over to their city centres as soon as possible.”
If anything, Phase 2 is a return to normalcy. It means that the NHL is one step closer to returning to the ice, to hosting the playoffs, to awarding the Stanley Cup.
For the players, it’s one step closer to feeling like a hockey player again.