Arena set to go when — or if — Flames return
GM Treliving says Saddledome has been ‘scrubbed seven ways to Sunday’
The player areas at the Saddledome are spotless.
There’s still no timeline for Nhlers to get back to work, but whenever they receive the green light, the Calgary Flames will be returning to a locker-room, weight room and other facilities that have been blasted with more cleaning solutions and disinfectants than you could count.
“You could probably eat off the floor. That thing has been scrubbed seven ways to Sunday,” said Flames general manager Brad Treliving on his weekly conference call with local media. “It’s amazing how the world has changed in seven weeks, quite frankly. Just all the machinery that has even gone into the dressing room to clean the air and balm the place … There are probably way more scientific terms than that, but there has been a lot of procurement of cleansing equipment, and that’s just going to be the new normal.
“Lots and lots of calories have been burned in terms of the preparation. And certainly, the sanitization is next level.”
Treliving believes there is “momentum building” for the NHL to resume the 2019-20 season after a lengthy pause due to COVID-19, but cautioned there is no firm plan.
There has been plenty of debate over whether regular-season games should be completed, whether the playoff format should be expanded to include more teams, when the NHL Draft should be squeezed onto the schedule. That’s the fun stuff.
The more serious subject matter is how to ensure that the skaters, puck-stoppers and staffers remain safe and healthy once they return.
Ontario’s provincial government ruled Friday that professional sports teams can open their facilities,
It’s not going to probably just be open the doors and everybody come in.
but the NHL won’t allow the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators to skate — even on a voluntary basis — until the rest of the teams can, too.
Alberta has a current ban on gatherings of more than 15 people, so the Flames would likely have to split into small groups for their initial on-ice sessions.
The NHL will have an opportunity to study — several soccer leagues in Europe and Asia are restarting, while some NBA teams are allowing players to use practice courts.
“I think we’re all trying to stay on top of the different sports and different leagues worldwide and the interesting thing for me is the coming-back part and all the regulations that are going to be involved,” Treliving said. “The people that have been working tirelessly on our side is the medical team, preparing for what could take place.
It’s not going to probably just be open the doors and everybody come in. It’s whether you’re in small groups, what testing has to take place — not only before but on a regular basis — and how do you keep people separated, to a certain extent, prior to going on the ice. All those types of things.
“As we start to see people come back, it’s not going to be perfect, right? You’re going to learn from what goes well, what doesn’t go well, steal what information you can from around, and I think sharing information is going to be key.
“So certainly the league is paying attention to all of it and hopefully, we can make the best decisions when those decisions are made.”