VANCOUVER WON’T WAVE TOWEL YET
What I’ve heard from those who represent players, the view is if you have to spend a couple of months in one place for the summer, Vancouver would be the place to do it: Premier John Horgan
The NBA could be going to Disney World in Central Florida.
The NHL could be going to Sin City in the Nevada desert.
What does this mean amid the hub-city hubbub about whether Vancouver or Edmonton has the superior infrastructure — and has stomped the pandemic positive-test case curve — to be considered as one of the cities to host the possible resumption of a season that was placed on pause March 12?
Amid much uncertainty, there is some certainty about hub criteria.
Pro sports leagues share common ground to start or relaunch their seasons. They prefer to designate one main facility to host games, another for multiple practices and training, and two high-end hotels to house players in a protective bubble-area concept.
For the NBA, the Orlando, Fla. resort is a desired location and it’s also why Las Vegas has gained momentum as an NHL hub. The Golden Knights have a new arena behind the downtown entertainment strip and a practice rink in Summerlin, Nev., that is a 20-minute drive away.
Regardless of selection criteria, the “us versus them” between Vancouver and Edmonton would pit the workable Rogers Arena against the expansive Rogers Place, JW Marriott against JW Marriott, and Yaletown vs. Ice District.
And it’s probably going to either be Vancouver or Edmonton for serious consideration because if Vegas gets a nod, that’s two sites in the west for hosting duties. If it’s just two hubs in a 12-team concept, what about Toronto or Columbus, Ohio?
With eight or nine cities still being vetted for hosting, the league doesn’t want the Canucks or the Oilers exchanging verbal jabs. After all, we’re all supposedly in this together, right?
However, that hasn’t stopped politicians from banging the drum to draw at least part of a proposed 24-team, play-in style Stanley Cup tournament to their cities and reap the economic benefit of housing and feeding players for months. That’s what politicians do.
It’s what B.C. Premier John Horgan did on a conference call Wednesday.
“We’re very well-placed with our hotel capacity and from what I’ve heard from those who represent players, the view is if you have to spend a couple of months in one place for the summer, Vancouver would be the place to do it — and that’s not to belittle any other NHL city in North America,” said Horgan.
He also suggested staging the entire tournament in one geographical region would make Victoria, Kelowna, Kamloops, Prince George, Penticton and Cranbrook suitable sites. But the NHL is adamant that its show will be staged in NHL arenas.
“I have a bias toward Vancouver,” Horgan added. “The Canucks are 100 per cent behind getting the hub concept underway. I opened up another concept for the NHL to consider and I’m just hopeful they consider B.C. at the end of the day.”
Canucks chief operating officer Trent Carroll was right in step.
“We see this as something that could be a positive initiative in a challenging time,” he said. “Maybe bring a bit of hope and spark back to the community. We will continue to work closely with all of our stakeholders.”
Edmonton has a practice rink attached to Rogers Place and a new JW Marriott accessed by an overhead walkway. Vancouver also has a new JW Marriott a block from Rogers Arena that served as headquarters for the 2019 NHL Draft. And Vancouver hosting the 2010 Olympics and the 2006 World Juniors isn’t lost on decision makers.
Unlike the last draft, the Canucks didn’t bid on the hub concept. The NHL approached the club to provide an outline on hotels, one arena for multiple games, another rink for daily practices, established and temporary dressing rooms, and COVID-19 case rates. No Pacific Coliseum, University of B.C., Abbotsford or Langley for games.
The Canucks identified UBC (three sheets) and Burnaby 8 Rinks as practice and training sites, but dressing rooms are small and training at 8 Rinks may mean putting equipment on an unflooded sheet of ice or on adjacent sports fields to ensure proper distancing.
As for Rogers Arena, there are two NHL locker-rooms, a third room that was occupied by the NBA Grizzlies and a fourth room used for international competitions. Altering the benches to provide proper distancing will be a priority, as will making use of ample concourse areas and other spaces without the fans.
Frequent and reliable testing for COVID-19 that wouldn’t compromise the public is as vital as any other hub criteria. Vancouver and Edmonton have low positive-test cases.
On Wednesday, B.C. health officials reported 21 new cases and 317 were active, to raise the provincial total to 2,467. There were 43 patients in hospital, 10 in intensive care and the death toll has risen to 146. As of Tuesday in Edmonton, there were just 59 active cases, 521 confirmed, and 12 total deaths.
Unlike other international airports, Edmonton wasn’t hit with an influx of travellers from Asia and the U.S. when the virus became a pandemic. There was little cross-border traffic and, with low population density in Edmonton, and the province having the youngest population in Canada, the impact of COVID-19 was lessened.
There was also aggressive testing and not being in proximity to meat-packing-plant virus outbreaks in southern Alberta.