Sharks relocate 2 games to Arizona
The San Jose Sharks’ exile away from their home city will last at least until the middle of February.
Citing Santa Clara County’s ongoing ban on contact sports, the Sharks on Saturday officially announced that their first two home games — which are just over a week away — will have to be played at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, instead of at SAP Center in San Jose. The Sharks will play the Vegas Golden Knights as the home team on Feb. 1 and Feb. 3. The Sharks’ next scheduled home games are Feb. 13 and Feb. 15 against the Anaheim Ducks, but it remains unclear if they will even be able to return home by that point.
The Bay Area’s regional stay-athome order, under California directives, will remain in place as long as ICU bed availability is under 15 percent.
As of Saturday, ICU bed availability — according to data in the state of California’s COVID-19 website — in the Bay Area region jumped from 6.5 percent the day before to 23.4 percent. However, the state’s four-week projection for ICU bed capacity remains below the 15 percent threshold necessary for reopening. Professional or collegiate contact sports in Santa Clara County are not allowed while the shelter order is in place. There is also a mandatory 10-day quarantine for anyone coming to the county from more than 150 miles away, making it impossible at the moment for teams to travel in and out of San Jose.
The Sharks and county officials have stayed in contact for the last several months. In a statement, Sharks president Jonathan Becher said the team would have had “significant” precautions in place, including daily COVID-19 testing for athletes and support staff, to allow games to be safely played at SAP Center “while not exposing the community to any additional health risk.” Fans will also not be allowed to attend games.
“In our discussions with County officials over the past several months, we have shared our detailed return-to-play plans and are hopeful that we can find practical solutions to this difficult situation very soon,” Becher’s statement said.
The Sharks said the Feb. 1 game will be played at 6 p.m. PST and the Feb. 3 game, nationally televised on NBCSN, will start at 7:30 p.m. PST. It remains undetermined whether fans will be allowed to attend.