NHLers adjusting to playing in empty arenas
Without fans in the stands, sound reverberates around Rogers Place like an ancient amphitheatre.
So a comment that would otherwise be drowned out by boisterous fans, is clearly audible for those fortunate enough to be allowed in the area.
Even media types tucked away in the highest recesses of the area, as far away from the players as possible, could clearly make out what was being said on the ice.
It is quite interesting and highly entertaining.
“To be honest it felt like the Twilight Zone there for a bit,” said Oilers goaltender Mike Smith following a 4-1 exhibition win against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. “Everyone was kind of skating around feeling out the whole feel of how it was going to be like with no one in the arena. It was definitely one of the oddest games that I’ve ever played since I’ve been in the NHL.
“But I think it’s the same boat for every team. Every team is obviously going to have mental challenges with creating your own energy, creating your own emotion, but that’s what’s going to make this little tournament so unique and so difficult to win.”
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the NHL to think outside the box in order to complete the 2019-2020 season. They came up with the idea of two hubs cities where a qualifying tournament and full playoffs would be played to determine a Stanley Cup champion.
The plan, which seemed ambitious at first, is now a reality with perhaps the biggest hurdle already cleared in getting all 24 teams and nearly 750 players into their respective secure zones safely without a single player testing positive for the virus.
On Tuesday, both Toronto and Edmonton unveiled its made-for-television presentation in relatively empty buildings.
It’s a slick-looking production with tarps covering the lower bowl and large screens installed on one side of the arena facing the cameras. They are also utilizing the extra space in the stands to come up with creative camera angles.
In anticipation of the colourful language associated with competitive, physical contests, the games are being broadcast on a short fivesecond delay with the naughty words filtered out whenever possible.
So fans at home didn’t hear Flames forward Zac Rinaldo yell at Oilers counterpart Josh Archibald as the two were sitting in their respective penalty boxes; “I’ll (expletive) hurt you.” But everyone else in the arena heard it loud and clear and got a chuckle out of it. It truly is a new world. “Obviously, it’s different off the start,” said Connor McDavid of the ambience. “It took probably the first period to get used to it. You had two teams that don’t like each other very much. It didn’t feel too different that way but got more and more used to it as the game went on.”
As the games begin to count starting Saturday and the intensity increases, the language should get even more colourful. It’s a rare look into the verbal exchanges that take place between opponents at the highest level.
And with an absence of fans, who create energy players feed off, teams are going to have to find creative ways to keep up their intensity.
“I think we’ve addressed that as a team and it has to come from within,” said Oilers forward Alex Chiasson. “We have to make sure there is a lot of talk on the bench and keeping our mind in the game. Those are circumstances none of us have ever been through and I think the teams that are able to manage that and keep their minds in the game are the teams that are going to be success in the end.”
The natural rivalry Edmonton and Calgary have in general, but particularly this season with a number of fight-filled contests during the regular season, helps as well.