National Post (National Edition)
‘It’s getting pretty boring’
NHL stars can’t wait to get back on the ice
Sidney Crosby smiled. It was a rather selfish smile.
“A couple of guys are looking at me pretty hard right now,” he said.
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain had just been asked to pretend he was the NHL commissioner and how he would resume a season after what could be a two- or three-month break.
“You try to get in as many games as you can, I think,” said Crosby. “But I wouldn’t mind starting right at the playoffs. A lot of guys are in different situations. I mean the more games you can play, the better it is for the integrity and everything. That’s a big part of it.”
When asked the same question, Washington superstar Alex Ovechkin agreed that it’s probably best to jump right into the playoffs, probably because the Capitals are in first place with just a one-point lead on the surging Philadelphia Flyers. But New York Islanders captain Anders Lee and New York Rangers defenceman Marc Staal, who both found themselves on the outside looking in when the NHL indefinitely paused the season two weeks ago, felt differently. They want more regular season games. They need them.
And then there’s New Jersey defenceman P.K. Subban, who thinks the NHL should get creative — for obvious reasons.
“The pesky Devils aren’t in a playoff spot,” said Subban. “I did like, I think it was kind of floating around, (the idea) of a possible 31-team playoff format.”
This is what NHLers are thinking about and worrying about ever since the rinks closed on March 12. No one knows when hockey will return this year. No one is sure that it will. Like all of us, the players remain quarantined in their homes, where they are trying to stay safe, stay in shape and stave off boredom.
“It’s getting pretty boring,” said Ovechkin. “The first week was relaxing. Now, it’s just getting pretty boring, honestly.”
During two separate four-person online conference calls on Thursday, a representative from each of the eight teams in the Metropolitan Division discussed everything from how they’re passing the time (the Netflix show, Formula One: Drive to Survive, was a popular choice), what they’re listening to (Ovechkin remains an diehard Eminem fan) and what they expect the NHL will look like when it eventually resumes.
“It’s hard. We don’t know when this coronavirus is going to end,” said Ovechkin, who was stuck on 48 goals when the season was put on hiatus. “We have 13 games left until the playoffs. For us, it’s better if the playoffs start right now. We don’t want to play those extra games … I’d rather start the playoffs right away. Sorry guys.”
“Don’t say sorry to me, we’re already in the playoffs,” said Nick Foligno, whose Columbus Blue Jackets own the final wild card spot in the East, but only have a one-point lead on the ninth-place Islanders and a two-point lead on the Rangers.
“Yeah, screw the Rangers. Let’s start the playoffs right away,” said Carolina’s Jordan Staal, whose team owns the first wild card spot in the East, but also has the same number of points as the Blue Jackets.
This is one of the many challenges the NHL faces if and when it comes back. Not every team has played the same number of games. The Islanders have played two less games than the Blue Jackets. Of course, there’s no guarantee that the Islanders, who were on a seven-game losing streak when the league was suddenly forced to shut its doors, would have won those two games.
“For us, it was a welcome break. We were going through a tough stretch,” said Lee. “I don’t think it was welcome in the sense that it was wanted, I just think when we do come back we’re all geared up and ready to roll. The format is going to be what it is.”
For others, playing more games isn’t just a chance to get into the playoffs. It’s also a chance to improve their place in the standings.
“I think it would be good to get a few games before the playoffs, especially for some teams that are fighting for a spot,” said Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux, who’s team was on a 9-1-0 run and just one point back of the Capitals for first place in the division.
“You want to give everybody a fair chance. Whatever is the fairest, I think everybody would kind of accept that.”
It’s not just the playoff format that has players concerned. With no hockey to be played and no rinks available for players to skate, finding ways to stay in game shape has become much more difficult than previous time the NHL closed its doors because of a lockout.
Ovechkin had previously invited his personal trainer to stay at his house to get him in “playoff shape” and Subban has a full gym at his Los Angeles home, where he’s been working out with his fiancée, former Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn.
Others aren’t so lucky. Marc Staal said he has been running on a treadmill. Lee said he recently invested in a Peloton stationary bike. Crosby and Giroux said they’ve been reduced to the “old school workout” of pushups, sprints and not much else.
“I could be working out for no reason,” said Subban. “We’ll wait and see. But I’d like to play some more hockey.”