NBA players, league agree to resume games,
NHL experiment offers blueprint that could extend beyond game
There were skeptics. There were naysayers. There were worrywarts.
But, somehow, the bubbles are working.
More than four weeks and 24,334 nasal swab tests into the hub cities in Toronto and Edmonton, a player has yet to test positive for COVID-19.
“In fairness, I feel like I’m walking on eggshells, it’s not over till it’s over,” said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, the University Healthy Network infectious disease specialist who advised the NHL Players’ Association in the creation of the bubble.
The virus has not penetrated the bubble and, perhaps more importantly for Toronto’s public health, no one associated with the playoffs has infected anybody on the outside.
“I think the protocols and the procedures that we put in place have been working and we’re really pleased with that,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. “As you know, this particular virus is very contagious. So if you have an incident where one or two or three people test positive and they happen to be in a group, it could spread pretty quickly.
“To this point we’ve had no positives, but we wanted to be acting and doing everything possible to minimize that number and zero is a good minimization to this point.”
That’s all good news for hockey because, given the pandemic shows no sign of relenting, the NHL may have to revisit the hub cities idea for the 2020-21 season.
“We’re gonna have to plan for that,” said Mathieu Schneider, special assistant to Donald Fehr, the NHLPA executive director. “The first quarter, or maybe even the first half, (we’ll need) to have a plan in place where maybe we’ll be looking at guys living at home but flying into a bubble city and playing several games, and then flying back out.”
In Toronto, the players and league officials have vacated the Fairmont Royal York; that hotel and the fenced-off tunnels to the Scotiabank Arena are now back in the public domain. With four teams left in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the NHL has moved everybody to Hotel X on the exhibition grounds.
The conference semifinals resume Saturday after the players initiated a twoday hiatus as an anti-racism protest for social justice. When this round is over, the two surviving Eastern Conference teams will join the two surviving Western Conference teams in Edmonton to complete the conference finals and Stanley Cup final.
And that’s the goal that keeps them going.
“We’ve made a commitment to each other, to the group, to come here,” said Bruins forward Brad Marchand. “We’re all sacrificing to be here. The drive is there to want to make it all worth it. If you get on the ice, you want to win, because otherwise, this whole thing is for nothing. There’s no point coming and being stuck in the bubble if you’re not going to win.”
Given the highly contagious nature of the virus that caused the pandemic, and its continued presence in both Toronto and Edmonton, it’s remarkable how smoothly things are going.
“There’s been a good buyin from the players and from everyone else within the bubble,” Bogoch said. “It means the protocols are strong, but it still means that we need to continue to adhere to those fundamental public health principles that were applied to the bubble to keep the disinfection out, and to ensure the safety of everyone within.”
Those principles: frequent testing, social distancing, wearing a mask, frequent hand sanitization.
And if it’s working for NHL players — and NBA players in their bubble in Orlando, Fla. — then those principles can perhaps be applied on a grander scale as workplaces and schools open up.
“I really think a lot of these principles are being applied to back-to-school programs, back-to-work programs,” Bogoch said.
“The key thing is how they’re implemented in these unique situations. For example, for back-to-school (plans), there’s certain things we can do to make that safer — you can reduce the size of the classes, you can increase the ventilation of the classroom, you can ensure kids wear masks.
“Same thing with back-towork. You can change the structure of the workplace, have people work from home so there’s fewer people under one roof, then it really is just the core application of these fundamental public health rules.
“But we were able to do it in a manner that was conducive for hockey where, of course, you’ve got things like locker rooms and the bench.”
It’s not like the NHL was immune to the virus. There were 45 confirmed cases among players prior to the entry into the bubbles.
Leafs centre Auston Matthews confirmed he had the virus before joining the team prior to training camp. St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong said a number of his players had it, hampering his team’s preparedness for the playoffs. The defending Stanley Cup champions were eliminated in the conference quarterfinals.
“When they were quarantining, they couldn’t go to the gym or do certain things,” Armstrong said. “It affected each player differently. Some lost a considerable amount of weight. They all felt some form of a symptom. It wasn’t that they had it and didn’t feel anything.”
Getting safely to the bubble was always going to be the key. But once everyone got there, it’s not like the plan was foolproof. There were leaky spots where players and the general public shared air: the fenced-off path down York Street, for example, or within the parking garage or even on the ice at the Scotiabank Arena where maintenance workers wore masks and did their best to keep their distance but were still within the vicinity of players. There was food delivery allowed at hotels, and hotel workers themselves were not all required to hub themselves off.
But the risks were deemed to be relatively low.
“I really think that if people adhere to the protocols, adhere to the guidelines, they can continue in a very safe manner but it requires effort and persistence,” Bogoch said. “I don’t think it’s easy.”
In Toronto, teams have made great use of BMO Field, a short walk from Hotel X and a bus ride from the Royal York when teams were still housed there. There was elbow room there to play football, or frisbee, or soccer, or just lie in the sun.
Some teams have taken golf excursions amid secrecy and tight security, keeping fans and the media away.
“I think everybody feels safe in the bubble, no need to have to get out of the bubble or urges to leave the bubble,” said Leafs forward Jason Spezza, who was part of the Return to Play committee.
“They gave the players enough space to roam around where you feel like you can get out, and also knowing that it’s safe and you’re protecting the integrity of the whole thing.”
Spezza noted that going into the bubble, players were worried about how they’d spend their time. Then it hit them: “Everybody was looking for all these options but the reality is when you get into playoff hockey it’s: I slept, I recovered, I got treatment, I played cards with the guys, guys played video games, then you got ready for the next game,” Spezza said. “There’s really not a lot you need to do once you get into playoff hockey.”
Schneider was inside the bubble in Edmonton, where the
J.W. Marriott hotel is attached to Rogers Place. He noted it felt alittle bit old school, with teams sticking to themselves and not intermingling with each other.
“As far as the co-mingling, it was interesting and was kind of neat to watch,” Schneider said. “A lot of guys compared it to maybe a world championship atmosphere or to even a youth hockey tournament where everybody’s going back to the same hotel. It’s nothing that they experienced at the NHL level.”
That may have changed given the extraordinary events of this week when players on all teams got together to discuss the right thing to do to help shine a light on racial injustice.
Tuukka Rask left the bubble for family reasons. Some, like Leafs defenceman Jake Muzzin, left for medical treatment. He returned, though the Leafs were eliminated before he was able to play again.
“Everything in there — from food to service to whatever you wanted needed — was all looked after,” Muzzin said.
“So everyone did a great job getting this thing set. It was safe. Not once did I feel scared or worried about anything.”
By and large, the plan has worked because the players have been committed to following the protocols. They were giving up a sizable portion of their lives, leaving family and children at home. They were giving up their freedom, all to name a champion. Twenty-four teams, down to 16, now down to eight.
“The hotel situation is not bad,” Marchand said. “The toughest part is being away from the family, which will be long and daunting but again, if you win, the sacrifice is worth it. The families will enjoy all of that.
“We’re grateful for the opportunity to be here. There are a lot of people out there right now that aren’t able to do the things they love, and can’t work, and are losing jobs, and homes, and businesses. The sacrifices we’re making, it’s worth it to be here. We’re lucky to be here, and do what we love, and have an opportunity to play for the Cup.”
Presumably, the NHL will be able to complete its playoffs and a Cup winner will be crowned. And, in back rooms, the league and players are looking to 2020-21.
“I would say our discussions, up until now, I would probably categorize them as spitballing,” Schneider said.
“I had the ability to talk to several general managers and key presidents (over) theoretically what next year might look like for the beginning of the season.” The NHL and NHLPA, the NBA and the NBPA, and other major sports organizations will share information with each other on what has worked, and what hasn’t. Because it’s more than just the top-tier professional leagues looking for solutions. Minor leagues, junior leagues, universities all have a stake.
“There’s going to be challenges at every single level,” Schneider said. “It’s important that we try to figure out how best to try to get as much normalcy as we can. But the priority has always been health and safety, first and foremost.
“I wouldn’t say that we’re in a rush to do anything, but at the same time there is a sense of urgency that we have to try to plan as much as we can in advance.”