FLAMES MAY TRAIN IN U.S.
Quarantine rules a hitch at home
The Calgary Flames’ first preference is holding their ‘Return to Play’ training camp in Calgary when the National Hockey League shifts into Phase 3.
However, because of the Canadian government restrictions for any incoming travellers requiring a 14-day isolation period to limit the spread of COVID-19, the team is exploring the logistics of holding a camp in the U.S.
Flames general manager Brad Treliving said they started the process when the NHL began firming their dates including the potential start of training camps which will not occur before July 10.
With a large chunk of their roster out of Canada — Mikael Backlund, Rasmus Andersson, Elias Lindholm and Oliver Kylington are still in Sweden, David Rittich is in the Czech Republic, Matthew Tkachuk is in St. Louis, Johnny Gaudreau is on the New Jersey shore, and Noah Hanifin is in Massachusetts — the quarantine process raises an issue if it’s still in effect in a month.
“We’ve certainly looked into it,” Treliving said on Tuesday. “We have a lot of people out of country, whether that be Europe or the U.S. Even if you’re flying commercially within Canada, there’s a quarantine. Our thought was that if there was a training camp starting on a certain day and we couldn’t get everybody back or they couldn’t quarantine in time for the camp, we said, ‘OK, what are our options?’”
The quarantine issue has also been a discussion point for the NHL when considering hub cities for the playoffs, as Canadian cities wouldn’t be options if players and staff are required to isolate for two weeks.
At the end of May, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, asking to ease restrictions on the U.S. border so it would be possible to have playoffs in Edmonton — one of the potential host cities.
The coronavirus situation in Alberta continues to improve with hospitalization rates remaining low and active COVID-19 cases are lower than expected. As such, the Alberta government is moving into Stage 2 on Friday.
Things can change quickly. Either the curve continues to flatten and the Canadian government decides to relax the rules, or the situation worsens with a second wave of the coronavirus. Treliving wants to be prepared. “I want to be real clear — this is not about jumping the line or anything like that,” he said. “It’s just that right now, our rules in this country state that if you come to Canada, out of the country, you have to self-quarantine for 14 days. With Stage 2 protocols, if you fly from Toronto to Calgary, you have to quarantine for 14 days. In the U.S., you don’t quarantine for 14 days. So, that’s what it is.
“If all of a sudden, the NHL said, ‘Training camp will start on this date.’ And that date was less than 14 days from now and you have somebody outside the country. Well, they can’t start on that date. They’ll have to come in and quarantine … well, that doesn’t work. All it is is looking at options.”
The NHL opened Phase 2 of the ‘Return to Play’ initiative on Monday, allowing teams to open facilities for voluntary workouts for players in small groups with stringent health regulations in effect.
The Flames opted to wait a few days so their staff could implement the protocols, opening Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday or Thursday for players to hit the ice and use their workout rooms.
There are only a handful of the team in the city at the moment, including Mark Giordano, Sean Monahan, Michael Stone, and Dillon Dube along with prospects Matthew Phillips and Glenn Gawdin, among others.
Usually when teams hit the ice for their fall training camp, they skate at their home arenas for weeks until pre-season begins. Since Treliving became general manager in the spring of 2014, they have either used Winsport’s facilities or held camp at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Treliving said they have looked at a couple of locations for a potential U.S. camp, and could make a decision based on the hub city that is announced.
However, since the COVID-19 outbreak put the NHL on pause on March 12, everything is up in the air.
“It’s not normal — we wouldn’t normally do a camp in the U.S.,” Treliving said. “It’s strictly because are we going to be able to get everyone back on time? By no means am I saying it’s going to happen. But, yes, we’ve certainly looked at it.
“(Having a plan is what) this is all about. We’ve been looking at every eventuality and are planning for it.”
By no means am I saying it’s going to happen. But, yes, we’ve certainly looked at it.