Hockey ‘secondary’ to crisis, Big Zee says
This was supposed to be the final week of the NHL’s regular season and teams should have been gearing up for the playoffs to begin next Wednesday.
Instead, like the rest of the sports world, the league and its players are on hold with no idea what may happen next, or whether they’ll even be able to resume the season or playoffs because of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
When the NHL decided to pause its schedule because of the COVID-19 crisis, the Boston Bruins were well on their way to winning the Presidents’ Trophy with 12 games left on the schedule. A trip to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second straight spring certainly looked like a strong possibility.
If all had gone as planned, the regular season would have wrapped up on Saturday night.
Now, everybody is waiting to see what happens next. Can the spread of the virus can be slowed enough to make it safe to return to work?
Bruins captain Zdeno Chara noted during a conference call organized by the league and the players association on Monday that hockey shouldn’t be first, and foremost, on anybody’s mind at the moment.
“Right now, it’s one of those situations that you can’t really control,” said Chara, who was accompanied by the Senators’ Brady Tkachuk, John Tavares of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit’s Dylan Larkin on the call.
“Right now, we all have to look after each other and look after our families. I know it’s kind of cliché answer, but I think in these days, hockey is secondary if you look at it that way.”
Chara added he hopes the Bruins will get back to playing this season.
“Yeah, it’s kind of hard to pause the league at the stage where we were, close to the playoffs and with only a few games remaining,” Chara said. “Our team played well and with confidence and we were going at a good pace, but who knows?”
OFF THE GLASS
One aspect of the game Tkachuk doesn’t mind getting a break from is having to face off against Chara and the Bruins.
“First, playing against Big Zee and the cross-checks in front of the net, those are something I definitely don’t miss,” Tkachuk said.
“We have pretty good battles in front of the net, so when he lays the lumber on me, it definitely doesn’t feel good.”
Speaking in a conference call with reporters in Los Angeles on Monday, coach Todd McLellan indicated the Kings haven’t had any staff or players test positive for COVID-19.
The Senators and Avalanche have both had two players test positive, and both teams were in Los Angeles before the NHL decided to take a break in the schedule.
AROUND THE BOARDS
Chara and his family decided to drive to Florida when players were given the go ahead to leave their NHL cities by the league on March 16. Asked if he had a message for Bruins fans, Chara said he understands it’s not easy for anybody right now.
“These are strange times,” he said. “Most of us are away from things we love to do, to work, to play and to entertain people. Hopefully, we get through this together. A huge thank you has to go to the medical professionals, volunteers and people delivering food. It just takes time. We have to be patient, safe and disciplined.” ... Larkin is in Detroit, waiting to see where all of this is headed. “I’m at home with my girlfriend. We just got a puppy and I’m just trying to get into a routine, stay safe and stay home, more importantly,” Larkin said.
THE LAST WORDS
There was a quite a moment when moderator John Dellapina of the NHL asked each player about the teammate who they would want to be quarantined with the most and who they wouldn’t.
“I have to say Tuukka Rask,” said Chara. “The way he farts, the smell is just awful. He likes his chicken wings, and after the chicken wings, I sit behind him on the bus I’ve got to tell you, I’ve got to control myself sometimes.”
While everybody was having a good laugh, Dellapina changed the subject and said: “Well, that went in a direction we weren’t expecting.”