COVID-19 and NHL

[robrob74]

My internet hobbies are going to be stagnant with this news. What will there be to talk about in light of the season being suspended? The draft is a ways away, and UFA, the ability to trade, etc. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Carty said:

Hopefully nothing like this ever happens again, but he closest the NHL has come to this kind of situation was the 1918 - 19 season Spanish flu disaster... 

 

 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1919_Stanley_Cup_Finals

1919 Stanley Cup Finals

 

The 1919 Stanley Cup Finals was the ice hockey play-off series to determine the 1919 Stanley Cup champions. No champion was declared; the series was canceled after five games had been played due to an outbreak of Spanish flu. It was the only time in the history of the Stanley Cup that it was not awarded due to a no-decision after playoffs were held.^[1]

Hosting the series in Seattle was the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) champion Seattle Metropolitans playing off against the National Hockey League (NHL) champion Montreal Canadiens. Both teams had won two games, lost two, and tied one before health officials were forced to cancel the deciding game of the series. Most of the Canadiens players and their manager George Kennedy fell ill with the flu and were hospitalized, leaving only three healthy players.^[1] The flu would claim the life of Canadiens defenseman Joe Hall four days later. Kennedy was permanently weakened by his illness, and it led to his death a few years later.^[2]

 

 

Cancellation

The sixth and deciding game of the series was scheduled for April 1, but an outbreak of influenza caused several players on both teams to become seriously ill. With Lalonde, Hall, Coutu, Berlinguette, and McDonald of Montreal hospitalized or sick in bed, with fevers between 101 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit, game six was cancelled just five and a half hours before it was scheduled to start.^[6] Kennedy said he was forfeiting the Cup to Seattle, but Pete Muldoon, manager-coach of the Metropolitans, refused to accept the Cup in a forfeiture, seeing that it was catastrophic illness that had caused the Canadiens lineup to be short of players. Kennedy asked to use players from the Victoria team of the PCHA, but president Frank Patrick refused the request.^[13][1]

 

Four days later, Joe Hall died of pneumonia brought about by the flu.^[14] His funeral was held in Vancouver on April 8, with most team members attending,^[15] and he was buried in Brandon, Manitoba.^[14] Manager George Kennedy also was stricken. His condition declined, and his wife arrived from Montreal to be with him.^[16] He seemed to recover and was released from the hospital, but he never fully recovered and he died a few years later.

 

No official Stanley Cup winner was declared in 1919, and thus nothing was engraved onto the trophy. However, when the Cup was redesigned in 1948 and a new collar was added to include those teams that did not engrave their names on the trophy themselves, the following was added:

 

                1919
      Montreal Canadiens
     Seattle Metropolitans
    Series Not Completed

 

 

Maybe they should finish it after their first year in the league? They both probably won't be playoff ready. Do we really think the new Seattle team will be propped like the Vegas team? They'd have the same rules, but are GMs going to be willing to trade off assets to keep players, especially seeing the repercussions in the Vegas E.Draft?

 

But they could have an exhibition series to settle it.

[LouCifer]

Yeesh... it became the offseason just like that. I’ll probably still be lurking around here from time to time. I am curious how everything will unfold when (if?) the season continues. 74 game season? 5 game playoff series? 1 game elimination for teams on the cusp in order to get into the playoffs? Might be very interesting 

[JTech780]

If they do come back, I wonder if they will just go into the playoffs and seed the teams based off points percentage.

[LouCifer]

26 minutes ago, JTech780 said:

If they do come back, I wonder if they will just go into the playoffs and seed the teams based off points percentage.

For me, if they go straight into playoffs, I’m curious how they do it fairly when teams haven’t all played the same number of games... 

[flames-fan-in-jets-land]

8 minutes ago, lou44291 said:

For me, if they go straight into playoffs, I’m curious how they do it fairly when teams haven’t all played the same number of games... 

I think the best idea would be to see what everyones record was at the 68 game mark (least amount of games played currently) and base it off of that. It would be at least the 14 day quarantine period before they came back and even then play to empty arenas? Even watching from home that wouldnt be the same.

[robrob74]

20 minutes ago, flames-fan-in-jets-land said:

I think the best idea would be to see what everyones record was at the 68 game mark (least amount of games played currently) and base it off of that. It would be at least the 14 day quarantine period before they came back and even then play to empty arenas? Even watching from home that wouldnt be the same.

 

they could have the stadium announcer put a sound of the crowd in the background.

 

press the OHHHHH button when someone nearly scores. 
 

an ahhhhhhhh when it’s the home team that nearly scores. 
 

the rahhhhhhh! When they do score. 
 

cardboard fans? Have movable parts where they stand when they score? 
 

lol

 

 

[redfire11]

With it being winter and the nhl shut down; a majority of Canadian men will have extra free time. It has been predicted that our population will explode within the year!!!!

[LouCifer]

35 minutes ago, robrob74 said:

 

they could have the stadium announcer put a sound of the crowd in the background.

 

press the OHHHHH button when someone nearly scores. 
 

an ahhhhhhhh when it’s the home team that nearly scores. 
 

the rahhhhhhh! When they do score. 
 

cardboard fans? Have movable parts where they stand when they score? 
 

lol

 

 

Maybe EA sports can get involved and green-screen in the fans and sounds from NHL’20?!? 😁

[ABC923]

I wonder how the cap will be impacted. No way they will be able to raise it.  Can it go down? 

 

I wouldn’t be surprised to see each team receive a cap compliance buy-out option for next season if the cap drops significantly due to the virus.

[Thebrewcrew]

36 minutes ago, ABC923 said:

I wonder how the cap will be impacted. No way they will be able to raise it.  Can it go down? 

 

I wouldn’t be surprised to see each team receive a cap compliance buy-out option for next season if the cap drops significantly due to the virus.

The cap can and probably would go down, that's if there's no more hockey played. If there is hockey played, then there's a chance the cap goes up.

 

Not sure about compliance buyouts though as that was something when the CBA was new, and I doubt the players association want any part of free buyouts for clubs

[travel_dude]

3 hours ago, lou44291 said:

For me, if they go straight into playoffs, I’m curious how they do it fairly when teams haven’t all played the same number of games... 

 

Well, if they went by points percentage stictly, then we would be in the 2nd WC spot playing STL.

Points percentage is not totally fair because you ignore the favorable impact of SO and OT wins.

RW is the 1st tie breaker after points in a regular season (as of this yeat).

 

[ABC923]

52 minutes ago, Thebrewcrew said:

The cap can and probably would go down, that's if there's no more hockey played. If there is hockey played, then there's a chance the cap goes up.

 

Not sure about compliance buyouts though as that was something when the CBA was new, and I doubt the players association want any part of free buyouts for clubs

Compliance buyouts would mean more money for players. Otherwise guys like Taylor Hall will wind up signing for 6 million or something, while guys like Toffoli will be stuck at 4 or less, etc, as almost no teams will have money for ufas next season.

[robrob74]

1 hour ago, Thebrewcrew said:

The cap can and probably would go down, that's if there's no more hockey played. If there is hockey played, then there's a chance the cap goes up.

 

Not sure about compliance buyouts though as that was something when the CBA was new, and I doubt the players association want any part of free buyouts for clubs

 

I doubt the players would be happy, but could players be paid on the percentage of the games played this season, so they’d have to give back 12 games if they only played 70?

 

or maybe they finish later and start later next season?

 

could be fake news but I read the virus could live in someone for up to 5 weeks. I guess that could be 2 weeks of not knowing and then three weeks with the symptoms prevalent??

[redfire11]

40 minutes ago, robrob74 said:

could be fake news but I read the virus could live in someone for up to 5 weeks. I guess that could be 2 weeks of not knowing and then three weeks with the symptoms prevalent??

It is proven once you have the virus, beat it and tested clean, you can catch it again. rinse and repeat. So as Merkel said there could be a 70% infection rate which is most likely  under stated.

Stay healthy all !!! you have a 99.7% chance of beating it. Less than the car ride to the grocery store to get more toilet paper.

[The_People1]

36 minutes ago, redfire11 said:

It is proven once you have the virus, beat it and tested clean, you can catch it again. rinse and repeat. So as Merkel said there could be a 70% infection rate which is most likely  under stated.

Stay healthy all !!! you have a 99.7% chance of beating it. Less than the car ride to the grocery store to get more toilet paper.

 

Well, last week some US Health official said they expect 70% of Americans to get Covid-19 which equates to about 5-million deaths. 

 

Morbid but stock up on those funeral and coffin stocks.

[DHT]

7 hours ago, The_People1 said:

 

Well, last week some US Health official said they expect 70% of Americans to get Covid-19 which equates to about 5-million deaths. 

 

Morbid but stock up on those funeral and coffin stocks.

At that number of deaths, you might want to buy stock in bulldozer company like CAT.

[Carty]

from:   https://www.nhl.com/news/commissioner-gary-bettman-nhl-season-coronavirus/c-316163422

NHL expects to resume season after pause for coronavirus

Commissioner Bettman says no player has tested positive, to his knowledge

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman decided to pause the season Wednesday night after an NBA player tested positive for the coronavirus and the NBA suspended its season, but he wanted to speak to the NHL Board of Governors on Thursday afternoon before making an announcement, he said in an interview on CNBC.

 

Commissioner Bettman said no NHL player has tested positive for the coronavirus, to the best of his knowledge.

 

"The last couple of weeks, we, like everybody else, have been monitoring what's been going on, and we went from dealing with things on a day-to-day basis to an hour-by-hour basis, and then it was in minutes," Commissioner Bettman said. "And we were constantly evolving our strategy as to how we were going to have our teams playing or not playing, or under what circumstances.

 

"But last night, when the NBA had a positive test and they had to cancel a game at that moment, it was clear to me. And through all of our calculus, we knew that once a player tested positive, it would be a game changer.

 

"I decided it was time to get ahead of it and not wait for one of our players to get tested, because in all likelihood, at some point in time, we weren't going to get through the rest of the season without a player testing positive."

 

Commissioner Bettman said the NHL answered a lot of questions on a conference call with the Board of Governors and has been working closely with teams, medical personnel and the NHL Players' Association.

 

"We've sent everybody home, and we've asked them to self-quarantine for the time being, and we're going to continue to monitor the evolution of the coronavirus," he said.

 

Commissioner Bettman stressed the NHL is taking a pause.

 

"I'm a little hesitant to use the word suspension, because our hope and our expectation is, when things get back to normal and it's safe and it's prudent, that we can go back and resume the season and ultimately have the Stanley Cup awarded," he said.

 

Asked how far into the summer the NHL was willing to push the schedule, Commissioner Bettman said, "That's a question that I can't answer right now. It's something that I and my senior staff are dealing with on a day-to-day basis.

 

"It's going to evolve. We're looking at all contingencies, and when the circumstances are right that we can play, then we'll look at what we can do.

 

"My hope is that at some point we'll get back to some normalcy, and that's not just my hope for the NHL, and it's not just my hope for all sports, it's my hope for everything that's going on."

[cross16]

Really poor look here for CESC, especially considering how much public money they just received. 
 

 

[Heartbreaker]

22 minutes ago, cross16 said:

Really poor look here for CESC, especially considering how much public money they just received. 

 

Agreed. They ought be ashamed of themselves. 

 

Lame.

[Carty]

54 minutes ago, cross16 said:

Really poor look here for CESC, especially considering how much public money they just received. 

 

CSEC is paying a whole lot more for player buyouts than it would cost to pay these employees for the remaining 12 games of the regular season...   

 

I hope that they reconsider...   It would be the humanitarian thing to do...

[robrob74]

I think the NHL looks bad in their statement as well. There’s no mention of keeping their fans safe and only that the caution of a player contracting it as the main priority.

 

i understand the teams have sent statements of fan importance though.

[Carty]

3 hours ago, Heartbreaker said:

Agreed. They ought be ashamed of themselves. 

 

Lame.

 

Walmart told employees a few days ago that if they had to self-isolate or were quarantined they would be paid in full for their normally scheduled hours for 2 weeks...

 

If stores like that can do it, sports teams should also be able to give support to the people that help keep things running for them as well...   Like the ones that sell their overpriced food and beer, and particularly those not covered by the new EI plan...

[Horsman1]

I am a Brand Ambassador for a couple of Alberta based companies and all grocery companies in Alberta have cancelled in-store demo's for the foreseeable future.. I will not be receiving one red cent from EI nor the companies I demo for as I'm considered a contracted employee not a permanent staff member.... 

 

[sak22]

The sad thing is taking care of the arena employees has been led by the players with some owners jumping on board.  The Flames are definitely not alone in this.  We can shame owners like Edwards, Chipman, Melnyk, MSG, Molson and so on, but we can also spend more time praising millionaire players like Bobrovsky, and guys like Kevin Love, Zion Williamson and Antetokounmpo from the NBA for doing what they are doing, hopefully more step up.  

[Carty]

Many of you have no doubt already heard this, but for those that haven't...

 

from: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/news/bettman-nhl-players-in-isolation-while-season-is-on-hold/ar-BB116EJp?ocid=spartandhp

 

Bettman: NHL players in isolation while season is on hold

 

The NHL is telling its players and staff to stay away from the rink and self-isolate while hockey is on a hiatus of unknown length during the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday he was not aware of any player or league employee testing positive for the new coronavirus, but he can't say for certain that no one is feeling ill or awaiting test results. The league announced Thursday it was putting its season on “pause,” but Bettman remains optimistic of resuming play and eventually awarding the Stanley Cup.

 

“That would be the goal,” Bettman said in a phone interview with The Associated Press and the NHL’s website. “Health, safety, well-being of the NHL family, especially and including our fans, is most important. If the business considerations and the money were the only thing, then we and a bunch of others would keep playing.”

 

Bettman told owners the first positive test result by any player would mean “all bets are off” and that the decision to suspend the season came after that happened in the NBA. There are some 700 players among the 31 NHL teams across North America.

 

“It was clear to me that no matter what scenario we came up with that we continued to play with, either with or without fans, it was inconceivable, certainly unlikely, that we were going to get through the rest of the regular season at minimum without somebody testing positive,” Bettman said.

 

Unlike NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who said his league's season would be suspended at least 30 days, Bettman would not put a timeframe on the NHL hiatus. Bettman said several contingencies are being worked but would not give a definitive date on when that would have to happen or how long into the summer things could go. The Stanley Cup is typically awarded in early June after two months of playoff games.

 

“I think the scope of what this is still unknown to all of us,” prominent players' agent Stephen Bartlett told The AP. “I think the only thing that we can counsel people is to take a deep breath and take whatever steps necessary and prudent to keep yourself healthy. And rest assured, especially for our athlete population, that those guys are in the very best of shape.”

 

League and Players’ Association officials were meeting Friday to spell out a plan for what can be done while the season is on hold. Bettman isn’t sure how long players will be advised to stay home.

 

“We'll be looking to progress in terms of activities once we get a handle on whether or not anybody in the short term is going to test positive,” Bettman said.

 

Players seem to be on board with the NHL’s response. San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane tweeted the NHL “has done the right thing in taking this pause to help the risk of spreading this virus.”

 

Boston-based agent Mark Witkin is telling his players to use common sense when training and stay upbeat despite the lack of games and practices.

 

“I think the NHL is probably smart in not putting any time frame on it because it's all temporary anyways,” Witkin said. “No one knows.”

 

Bettman also said it is not the NHL's independent call when to resume play and did not rule out the possibility of games in empty arenas.

 

Even after the NHL endured a full-season lockout in 2004-05 and another in 2012-13 that led to a 48-game season, former player Matt Hendricks called this “kind of no-man’s territory.”

 

“It’s weird because nothing like this has ever happened, and it’ll probably never happen again, hopefully,” retired forward Michael Peca said. “It’s like, `Is this even real?’ But there’s a big-picture purpose to it. … It’s about making sure we can slow down if not cease, but more likely slow down how quickly it’s spreading.”