How league will crown champ
The NHL playoffs are always unpredictable, and now a variable is being tossed in – a global pandemic.
The league, which went on hiatus on March 12 because of the coronavirus, has moved to Phase 3 of its return as training camps have opened.
If all goes well, 24 teams will report to hub cities in Toronto and Edmonton, Canada, on July 26, the playoff qualifying round will start on Aug. 1 with five games and the Stanley Cup will be awarded as late as October.
And testing, social distancing and hygiene will be the most important defensive systems to make sure it’s carried off.
“We’re all living day-to-day here, and we’ll see what happens,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said during a Zoom call.
How the tournament will work: In training camps, teams are limited to 30 skaters, plus an unlimited number of goalies. Players and other club and facility personnel were to be tested 48 hours before they arrived and then will be tested every other day. Temperature checks will be done before anyone can enter a facility.
If players show COVID-19 symptoms, they will self-isolate and be tested. Asymptomatic players will also self-isolate if they test positive and must have two negative tests 24 hours apart before returning.
Players are being asked to limit their public access off ice before heading to the hub cities to avoid the chance of exposure. The league announced July 13 that 30 players had tested positive earlier during voluntary workout and it was aware of another 13 positive tests.
“You need to make your inner circle pretty darn small because what you do affects everybody else,” Hurricanes forward Justin Williams said in a recent Zoom call. “That’s pretty much the basis of what a team is anyway; you’re only as strong as your weakest link. But at this point, your weakest link can take down your whole team.”
Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic already has opted out, as have the Stars’ Roman Polak, the Canucks’ Sven Baertschi and the Oilers’ Mike Green.
Citing an “abundance of caution,” the Penguins voluntarily have held out nine players from camp because of a possible secondary exposure to the coronavirus.
The Pittsburgh team said the players will self-isolate after having contact with an “individual who had contact with a person that has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.” The Penguins said they learned of the possible secondary exposure on July 12.
Once teams are in the hub cities, rosters will be 31 players and teams can bring a total of 52 people. Players will get a floor of a hotel. No one can leave the hub except for a medical appointment or a family emergency. Quarantine will be required when returning.
No fans are allowed. No family can show up until the conference finals, which will be held in Edmonton. Media interaction with players and coaches will be by Zoom. There will be daily testing for players.
“One positive test shouldn’t shut down the tournament, but obviously we have to be very cognizant of player heath and safety and if we have an outbreak situation, that turns into a different judgment,” Daly said. “But there’s no hard and fast numbers on that. That’s more of a sense of the medical professionals, and we’ll take our lead from them.”
On the ice, four bye teams will play a round robin to determine seeding at the top of each conference, while the remaining eight teams per conference will play a best-of-five series.
The breakdown:
Eastern Conference (Toronto)
Bye teams: Bruins, Capitals, Flyers,
Lightning
Qualifying round
Rangers vs. Hurricanes Panthers vs. Islanders Canadiens vs. Penguins Blue Jackets vs. Maple Leafs
Western Conference (Edmonton)
Bye teams: Blues, Avalanche, Stars, Golden Knights
Qualifying round
Wild vs. Canucks
Coyotes vs. Predators
Jets vs. Flames Blackhawks vs. Oilers
Teams will be reseeded after the qualifying round, and the first round will begin Aug. 11. The second round tentatively will start Aug. 25, the conference finals Sept. 8 and the Stanley Cup Final on Sept. 22.