Canucks push Vancouver as NHL’s ‘ideal hub city’
14-day quarantines, lack of practice rink downtown present the biggest obstacles
The NHL would prefer a Canadian city as one of two hubs when its season — placed on pause March 12 by the coronavirus outbreak — resumes in July.
The Vancouver Canucks would love to be one of two sites for 12team conference playdowns that would reduce the roster from 24 teams to 16 for a modified Stanley Cup playoff tournament following a qualifying round.
“We believe Vancouver would be an ideal hub city,” Canucks chief operating officer Trent Carroll said Wednesday. “We have the hosting experience, world-class hotels, training facilities, and our other amenities are excellent.”
For the NHL, there’s a lot to like about Vancouver’s infrastructure and COVID-19 awareness. And it would love if the federal government could waive the additional 14-day quarantine period for players returning to Canada. It’s why the next three weeks are crucial before hub city decisions are made.
If there’s a quarantine resolution, then Vancouver can compete with Edmonton’s full court press and emerge from a field of 10 cities — Las Vegas and Columbus are considered the favourites — to host a dozen teams. However, if the additional quarantine measure becomes a deal breaker for Canadian cities, the Canucks could conduct a training camp at a U.S. location in advance of conference playdowns in Las Vegas.
NHL players aren’t required to self-isolate when they enter the United States.
“We’ve talked about that,” said Canucks general manager Jim Benning. “It’s something that we’re thinking about, but we just want to give it a few more days to see if something is going to change with it (quarantine) because we’d like to use our own facility.”
In the interim, Vancouver is positioned to play host, but Edmonton
has more key criteria in place. There’s cavernous Rogers Place, with four full-sized NHL locker-rooms and several expansive hosting areas, an attached practice facility, and a new J.W. Marriott hotel across the street accessed by an overhead walkway.
The city has also secured a golf course for players and Vancouver has plans to do the same.
The NHL initially approached the Canucks for an outline on hotels, one arena for multiple daily games, another rink for practices, established and temporary dressing rooms, and COVID-19 rates. So, forget about the Pacific Coliseum, UBC, Abbotsford or Langley for games.
As for key additional facilities, the Canucks identified UBC’s three sheets of ice and Burnaby 8-Rinks as practice and training sites. However, dressing room logistics aren’t great and training at 8-Rinks could involve equipment on adjacent sports fields.
That could hinder Vancouver because of social distancing concerns. How many buses would be required on a daily basis to transport players to multiple practises? Dozens? And what about the drivers? Do they need to be quarantined for months during the duration of the playoffs?
“It’s completely unprecedented that there’s been this kind of disruption — the most restrictive social environment that we’ve ever been in,” said Tom Mayenknecht, marketing and communications executive and sports business commentator for TSN 1040 Radio, who has worked with the NBA’s Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies and Tennis Canada.
“It’s a once in a century kind of situation. It comes down to the capacity to house athletes in a bubble as much as possible. Keep everything as convenient.
“Vancouver can make a good argument, but lack of a downtown practice rink is the single biggest obstacle. We check all the other boxes, but they (NHL) are going to look at what can be controlled every day,” said Mayenknecht.
What can’t be debated is Vancouver’s sports footprint as a go-to location for national and international events.
There are a dozen five-star hotels within walking distance of Rogers Arena.
Rogers Arena sports two NHL locker-rooms, a third that was occupied by the Grizzlies and a fourth used for the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2006 world junior hockey championship.
Altering the benches to provide distancing will be a priority. So will making use of ample concourse and other spaces without fans in the stands.
“It can handle the multiple games, but the locker-room facilities would be an issue,” said former NHL player and TSN commentator Ray Ferraro, who works between the benches.
“There will be no between-thebench position. Nobody has told me that, but there’s no chance. The phrase we hear more than anything is social distancing. Put it this way, I don’t want to be there.”
Ferraro also doesn’t understand how the maximum of 50 people in Rogers Arena is supposed to work. Factor in expanded rosters, coaches, trainers, medical staff, hockey operations personnel, other staff, referees and minor officials, and you get past 50 in a hurry.
And that doesn’t include as many as a dozen production personnel and announcers for a TV broadcast.
“I don’t know how that would work,” said Ferraro. “Our health regulations are pretty hard to criticize because of this (COVID-19). Outside of pride, I don’t get why people are up in arms about being a host city. You can’t go to games or see the players on the street. What’s the big deal?
“And if you go to Vegas, it’s not really Vegas. You’re going to be in a bubble. To me, it could be on the moon.”