`It definitely sucked'
NHLers hated bubble life, despite growing closer as days, weeks and months went by
They hated it.
They understood why they had to do it and they made the most of it, but when asked on their way out if there was anything about life in an NHL quarantine bubble they'd miss, virtually every one of the players responded with the same answer: nothing.
“There's nothing positive you're really going to take from bubble life,” said Dallas centre Tyler Seguin. “It definitely sucked.”
Dallas Stars coach Rick Bowness, who spent most of his waking moments in film rooms, meeting rooms or behind the bench in a desperately cold arena — escaping only for another restaurant meal from
the same place he had the last one — couldn't pack his bags fast enough.
“Not one bit,” said Bowness, when asked if he's going to miss this. “We were all prepared to be here nine or 10 weeks, but there won't be one thing about bubble life I'm going to miss.”
They all grudgingly admit, though, going through this experience together brought them closer as teams. Clubs that went deep in the playoffs forged relationships that will have a lasting impact.
Most hockey clubs are tightknit groups to begin with, but after two months in a quarantine bubble, teams saw a level of camaraderie that even they didn't expect.
“We were talking about it (after winning the Western Conference championship), I
think it changed our team,” said Dallas general manager Jim Nill. “You're in this bubble together, every day, eating in the same room, playing cards in the room, watching golf on TV together. They're always together.
“You find out things about everybody else, players step up and help each other through things. You can't have enough of that. The bonding that takes place, the nurturing that takes place, the experience these guys are getting is so important for their development. You cannot replace that, you can't replicate that, you have to live it.”
Tampa coach John Cooper, who earlier in the playoffs lamented missing anniversaries, birthdays and milestones in the lives of his children while he was locked away in pursuit of a Stanley Cup, agrees the bonds on his team are much greater now than they were when the whole thing started — and not just because they won it all.
“I know our team is in a better spot now than we were when we entered the bubble,” he said. “Not saying we weren't close then, but this experience has really drawn it together.
“The hours we spent together every single day, the games they played, the practical jokes, everything. There are no cliques, no guys going in different directions. They're just all together and they're all happy ...
“Tight-knit is an understatement. This group, they would lie in traffic for each other. That's what I've seen grown during these playoffs and probably a reason why we had success.”