NHL, players agree on deal to ensure labour peace
The threat of COVID-19 lockdown still looms over the NHL, but not a lockout.
From the uncertainty of finishing this season comes a minor miracle, a tentative collective bargaining agreement announced Monday night — and potential labour peace until the summer of 2026. Neither side would comment publicly until voting takes place this week, requiring a two-thirds majority of the board of governors and a majority of the more than 700 members of the players’ association, though most key details were already leaked.
For anxious fans with a blank calendar, fill in next Monday as the start of camps for the 24 teams in the playoff tournament at their home facilities, followed by a July 26 move to the two hub cities of Edmonton and Toronto and an Aug. 1 start to qualifying and round robin seeding games. It’s hoped everything can wrap up by early October in Edmonton, where the conference finals and Stanley Cup championship are scheduled.
Tied into the CBA were protocols of Phase 3 and 4 of the return-to-play plan, including COVID testing and restrictions in the bubble environment of rinks, hotels and buses.
A key part of the plan will see family allowed to visit, but not until the last two rounds. The players, especially those with children, understandably didn’t want to be separated for weeks, while some said that if they were fortunate enough to win the Cup, they would truly want their kin with them to experience it.
Any player who must leave the bubble environment for any kind of home emergency will be isolated for four days and need four negative test results before coming back to their team. There are to be 31 players among the 52-person entourage of each of the 12 hub clubs. Hotel workers and bus drivers are among the people in the teams’ bubble who’ll be tested for COVID-19.
DON’T GET MUSHY ON US
An ice cream cone could become a gooey mess in the heat and humidity of August, but what about the ice in a hockey rink?
With the CBA pushed through, the next task for the league will be keeping its main stages, Scotiabank Arena and Rogers Place, from becoming mush.
Commissioner Gary Bettman got out in front of that months ago, insisting ice-making technology has advanced to the point where high temperatures wouldn’t be a problem. The experts say there’ll be one huge advantage for arena staff.
“There aren’t going to be fans in the building,” said Bob Hunter, former general manager of Scotiabank Arena and now CEO of Toronto Wolfpack rugby. “That’s just as important as what the weather is outside. You get 18,000 people in there and they generate a lot of heat. By the second and third periods, it’s a challenge to keep the ice hard and fast.
“When I worked in Toronto, we were able to get the humidity down. We spent $5.3 million on a dehumidifier many years ago and I know they’ve made improvements since. Just look at what Las Vegas did hosting a Stanley Cup final in June a couple of years ago.”
There are also modern methods to measure ice temperature and maintain a smaller, more dense surface that uses less water.
Earlier, Leafs president Brendan Shanahan had suggested the empty arenas might give the NHL an opportunity to test new innovations on its broadcasts and game operations side. With no fans in the way, it will certainly be a chance for the TV folk to try different lower bowl camera angles during play.
PRED-UCATION FOR HYNES
The four-month hiatus in NHL play had one advantage for new Nashville Predators head coach John Hynes.
“First and foremost, I think it’s having a much better understanding of the team and the roster,” he told The Athletic Nashville after taking the team to a record of 16-12 after taking over from Peter Laviolette. “We’ve done a real thorough job of talking about the players, rating the players, analyzing the roles, expectations. I did have an opportunity to work with the guys for three months, so there’s a little bit of meat on the bone and some experience with them to talk about where they’ve been, where they were when we ended and where we see them moving forward.”
ICE CHIPS
Say a prayer for Eddie Shack. “The Entertainer” has been in and out of hospital battling cancer the past eight months. The 83-year-old played more than 1,000 NHL games and won four Cups as a Leaf before a long and colourful career as a businessman, TV commercial star and one of the spokesmen to recover unpaid pension benefits to alumni ... Betonline has “Capitols” at 9-to-1 odds to be the new nickname of football’s Washington Redskins. That wouldn’t cause confusion in D.C., eh? ... There aren’t expected to be any equipment changes at next month’s games, such as full face shields adopted as ANTI-COVID measures. The league is confident its frequent testing will stay abreast of any problems.