Lots to consider before fans can return
VANCOUVER, B.C. — The hockey fan in Dr. Brian Conway occasionally bubbles to the surface.
As president and medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre, he has advised the general population and professional athletes on how to combat the novel coronavirus pandemic. And as a Canucks season-ticket subscriber, the challenges for the National Hockey League to safely stage its product next season is an ongoing passion.
Dr. Conway’s interests even extended to the league-wide, reverse-retro jersey launch Monday.
“This is all about restoring hope in people and giving them something to look forward to,” he said. “It’s a very good idea to do these kinds of initiatives. And I do like the Canucks’ new jersey. I moved here in 1994 from Montreal, so I had the lean years and then they drafted the Sedins.
“So, anything that reminds me of that long history is a very good thing.”
On the medical front, a good development is encouraging progress in Phase 3 vaccines by pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Pfizer. Moderna said its data shows more than a 94 per cent effectiveness in preventing COVID-19. And a week ago, Pfizer announced that an early assessment of data showed its vaccine is more than 90 per cent effective.
The news sent stock markets and hockey pulses soaring. Vaccines will eventually save lives and reduce virus aggressiveness, especially if the trickle-down effect is better compliance with health protocols. And if all that occurs, the possibility of the Vancouver Canucks and other NHL teams north of the border hosting games in an allCanadian division next season might not be far-fetched.
A Major League Baseball style format could mean three games in four or five nights at Rogers Arena in Vancouver and the other venues across the country, but the NHL and NHL Players’ Association still need to bridge several logistical gaps. The league is still targeting Jan. 1, but has admitted its schedule could be pushed back and reduced amid COVID-19 concerns and provincial health orders.
Owners are hoping a combination of graduated fan attendance, arena advertising and regional television contracts can produce a percentage of revenue to make a season viable — some even believe there’s a break-even point if health edicts eventually allow one-third attendance.
What has to happen in the interim is a system that would make a fan plan for arenas work. At their July training camp, for instance, the Canucks required media to fill out a daily health questionnaire and have a temperature check before sitting rows apart in Level 300 of the stadium.
“We should learn from the school system, said Dr. Conway. “If you set it up well, you’re fairly certain who’s going in and out. And when you think you have a case, you can contact trace and limit the impact of each case. The school system has taught us that you can begin to think of sort of opening up society, if all these things are in place.”