Suspended NHL season could actually help injury-riddled Colorado team.
The NHL is taking an optimistically uncertain approach in resuming its season. In other words, resumption is expected but has no clear time frame.
For Avalanche fans, the league’s self-described “pause” has a clear-cut benefit — however selfish, given that the country’s health is more important than hockey. The injury-depleted Avs are getting healthy through the coronavirus scare, with five key players likely to return if and when the league resumes play.
Forwards Mikko Rantanen, Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky and Matt Calvert all were on “midMarch” return schedules, and superstar center Nathan MacKinnon is already a week into his projected one- to two-week absence.
That said, any such return is obviously insignificant to the world’s health.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly released a statement Friday saying the league is asking its players to self-quarantine but to be prepared for an informal return-to-work announcement by the end of the month. Similar to players-only “captain’s practices” in the weeks leading into training camp, Daly expects involuntary training to lead into mandatory participation.
“We envision there coming a time where we transition directly from ‘stay at home’ to opening club facilities to players to work out and skate on a voluntary basis in small groups,” he said in the statement. “At this point, I’m not in position to say when that will be. We will see how the next week or so plays out.”
For the Avs, when and if they resume captain’s skates might depend on an agreement with South Suburban Parks and Recreation, which owns the club’s practice space at Family Sports Center in Centennial. South Suburban is currently closed because of the rising COVID-19 cases in Colorado but will re-evaluate its closure Thursday.
If South Suburban/Family Sports remains closed when the NHL says captain’s skates can take place, the rink owner and the Avs would presumably make a deal to allow the team to carry on in its private areas of the facility, including the “Avalanche” sheet of ice. The Avs have a gated parking lot and a private entrance in the back of the facility.
“While we are definitely disappointed that the season is (hopefully very shortly) paused, we as players understand that the safety of teams & fans is paramount,” Avs defenseman Ian Cole wrote on Twitter. “On the bright side: my playoff beard is gonna be EVEN BIGGER!”
That’s a great tweet from the big-bearded Cole, who encapsulates a serious health issue with a dose of sports sarcasm.