Sharks have no plans to slash staff

Sharks Sports & Entertainment has no plans as of now to reduce staff or ask employees to take a pay cut while the NHL remains on hiatus, a team source confirmed.

Earlier this month, the Sharks announced that part-time employees who were scheduled to work Sharks and Barracuda games at SAP Center in March would still be compensated.

The Sharks were previously scheduled to play at home against the Montreal Canadiens on March 19, the Boston Bruins on March 21 and the Arizona Coyotes on March 29. Sharks home games April 2 against the Dallas Stars and April 4 against the Anaheim Ducks will also not be played as scheduled with the entire state of California under a shelter in place mandate.

All NHL teams are coming to grips with severe financial losses after the league’s March 12 announcement that it was pausing its season for an indefinite amount of time due to growing concern about the spread of the coronavirus. There is no indication yet as to when the league might resume operations.

The Canadiens announced Tuesday they will be temporarily laying off 60% of employees later this month. The Bruins announced Wednesday that effective April 1, 68 full-time salaried employees will be placed on temporary leave and that 82 full-time salaried associates will receive an indefinite salary reduction.

Wednesday, the Raleigh News & Observer reported that full-time Carolina Hurricanes employees will no longer be paid after this

“That’s why it was surprising to see the IOC twisting in the wind for so long,” said Derick Hulme, an Alma College professor who has written extensively on the Olympics.

The IOC, Hulme said, has long been perceived as an organization that in times of crisis or controversy is seen “as reacting instead of acting. And other folks got out in front of this.

“Too often,” Hulme continued, “the IOC has been seen as reacting after the fact, that they can’t see what’s around the corner and this corner was not too difficult to see around.

“You would have liked to have seen the IOC first past the post, instead of last past the post.”

Bach, standing against the backdrop of ancient Olympia on March 12, insisted the Game would open as scheduled. He made the remarks at the Olympic torch lighting ceremony held behind closed doors because of the coronavirus.

“Nineteen weeks before the opening ceremony of the Games we are strengthened in our commitment by many organizations around the world taking significant measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus,” Bach said.

“When the flame returns to Tokyo after 56 years, hope will light the way across the entire country.”

Last week with most of world’s sports leagues had shut down, the IOC said in statement regarding Tokyo “there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage; and any speculation at this moment would be counter-productive.”

John Coates, an IOC member from Australia and chairman of the IOC Tokyo coordinating commission, told the Sydney Morning Herald last week “it’s all proceeding to start on the 24th of July.”

But there were beginning to be cracks in the IOC stance.

“I think the IOC insisting this will move ahead, with such conviction, is insensitive and irresponsible given the state of humanity,” said Hayley Wickenheiser, a four-time Olympic hockey gold medalist for Canada and an IOC member viewed as close to Bach.

Bach said Wednesday at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis the IOC’s primary focus was on “whether Japan could offer safe conditions for welcoming the athletes of the world. At that point, we had growing confidence in the developments in Japan, seeing all the measures being taken, seeing the figures, and we had the confidence that, in four-and-ahalf months, these safe conditions could be offered.”

But by Sunday the IOC was forced to change its focus.

“Then, we had this big wave coming from the rest of the world and these very, very worrying developments, in particular in the last few days. Africa is obviously at the beginning of the spread of the virus, and the World Health Organization said a couple of hours ago that Africa has to prepare for the worst,” Bach said. “We see the numbers going up in many other parts of the world.

“We had to see on the other side that the virus was spreading so readily that it became more and more a question of whether the world could travel to Japan than whether Japan could afford in the spirit of containing the virus could really invite the world.”

After Bach called the IOC executive board meeting Sunday he informed Tokyo 2020 organizing committee chief Yoshiro Mori, the country’s former prime minister, of the direction the organization was heading.