The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
League moves to Canada as virus racks U.S.
As the NHL tries to resume play and crown a Stanley Cup champion by early October, it is also shifting its operations to Canada. And according to health experts, that might give the NHL the best shot among the North American professional sports leagues to complete its season.
“I don’t know what greater indictment you need of the United States’ response to the virus than the NHL picking up its puck and retreating to Canada,” said Zach Binney, an epidemiologist at Oxford College of Emory University in Atlanta. “That was a smart decision. That was a very smart decision.”
The NHL is unique in its plan to resume play, with its 24-team expanded playoffs to be staged in two Canadian hub cities. The 12 participating Eastern Conference teams will play in Toronto and the 12 participating Western Conference teams will compete in Edmonton. The conference finals and Stanley Cup final will take place in Edmonton.
As of Friday, Toronto reported 14,177 confirmed cases overall with 1,117 fatalities since the coronavirus pandemic began and Edmonton reported 1,202 confirmed cases and 19 deaths. Canada reported on Friday 106,882 cases overall and 8,748 deaths since the pandemic began.
In both cities the trends are “very low compared to the U.S.,” said Diana Zuckerman, president of the nonprofit think tank National Center for Health Research. Zuckerman also pointed out that Toronto has a mask requirement, bolstering safety precautions for teams in Ontario.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Saturday that “one positive test shouldn’t shut down the tournament,” but an outbreak could potentially force things to change.
The league considered Las Vegas and Vancouver as hub cities, before switching gears and going up north as cases skyrocketed in Las Vegas, and Vancouver backed out of the running in June. Other cities under late consideration for the summer tournament were Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas. The daily coronavirus death toll in the U.S. increased last week after months of decline, and hospitals in hot spot states are continuing to be overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, other sports have released their return-to-play plans and started workouts and training in the U.S., but have already hit roadblocks. MLS was the first large-scale U.S. team sport to resume since the pandemic struck, but now finds itself down two teams at Disney World in Florida, from 26 to 24, after FC Dallas and Nashville SC were forced to withdraw because of virus outbreaks. The NBA is in the early phases of restarting its season with 22 teams in a bubble-like environment at Disney World, in which players and staff cannot enter or reenter without quarantining.
Major League Baseball, which is trying to play a shortened 60-game season, already faced testing issues after multiple teams had to close workouts after delays in getting back testing results. MLB also has a much looser plan than other sports, which includes air travel between cities, and does not have specific rules once players, coaches and staffers leave team facilities.
A number of safety precautions are in place for those involved in the effort. Training camps and getting players from home cities to the hub cities this month appear to be the riskiest parts of the plan, Binney and Zuckerman said.
Binney said the NHL has done three key things that are important in bringing any sport back amid the pandemic. One, centralization and sequestering while in the hub cities. Two, frequent daily testing for a range of people within the secure zones. And finally, the league is not trying to play in the U.S.
Training camp for 24 teams starts today.