BUFFALO, N.Y. — With the Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils and Minnesota Wild all having their seasons put on hold due to COVID-19 protocols, the NHL has put out new directives.
In a statement NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said, “With about 20 percent of our season played, we are mindful of the fact that we might be seeing a more aggressive transmission of the virus and will continue to make adjustments to our Protocols as we consult on a daily basis with, and adhere to, the recommendations of our medical advisors."
“It is important to note that, while we have seen almost 100 players enter our COVID Protocols, fewer than half have done so because of confirmed positive tests – and, among that group, many have not been symptomatic. Our priority has been and will continue to be to act conservatively with an abundance of caution, understanding that there are many things about the transmission of COVID-19 that are still being discovered. As a result, we won’t hesitate to take additional measures as indicated by what we are learning and as directed by our medical advisers.”
If you watch games on Thursday, one of the things you’ll notice is no glass behind the benches.
The NHL said, “To allow for air flow to more easily move away from the benches where Players and Coaches are in close proximity to one another during games, effective today, Clubs/Arenas will remove the partitions of shielding that are behind the home and visiting team benches.”
Honestly that’s not something I ever thought of, but I think it’s a really good idea. If you think about it, the teams were wrapped in a glass box with glass on three sides. This may make it safer with better air flow.
Here's another change to COVID-19 NHL protocols:
Limitation of Time at the Game Arena: In order to minimize (to the extent practical) the period of time for possible exposure and transmission of COVID-19 while Players are gathered at the arena, effective today, Players and Coaching staff are being advised, whenever practicable, to arrive at the Game arena no more than 1 hour, 45 minutes before puck drop, except to receive necessary treatment or to engage in preparations in advance of the Game. On game days (and non-game days), meetings shall be conducted virtually, to the greatest extent possible. Further, Players should leave the arena as expeditiously as possible after the conclusion of each game.
This one I don’t understand at all and neither do the players. What’s the difference what time they get there? They’re going to the same locker-room and will be taking the same precautions. Some players like to get to the arena three hours before the game to do extra stretching or work on their sticks.
Andrew Copp of the Winnipeg Jets has come out against this and said the players are going to fight it. Discussions between the NHL and the NHLPA have already begun to tweak this new protocol.
Physical Distancing in Team Spaces: In order to reduce to the extent possible the number of Players in a room at the same time, each Club shall take steps to utilize (or create where necessary) additional locker room space for the home and visiting teams, such that physical distancing of a least six (6) feet between players at each of their stalls is accomplished. Each Club shall communicate its specific plans to the League in this regard, by no later than Wednesday, February 10. The League will provide information regarding portable locker room stalls to Clubs that will be building out new space to meet this requirement.
This is what the Toronto Blue Jays did when they came to Buffalo. The Jays took over both locker rooms and built a new one in right field for the visitors so there could be six feet in between lockers.
It’s amazing to me that the NHL didn’t think of this before. This should be standard procedure during a pandemic. It also makes me wonder how a coach talks to his team in between periods when they can’t safely get them all into the same room. The visiting room in Buffalo is very small and it’s going to take a lot to figure this out for those teams.
Air Filtration and Air Cleaning: The League is considering adoption of a requirement for Clubs/Arenas to deploy portable air cleaners with HEPA behind the Player bench areas, in order to improve indoor air quality and mitigate airborne viral transmission. The League will send a further communication to Clubs/arenas once it has specific requirements in this regard.
The league included a quote from its Chief medical Officer Dr. Willem Meeuwisse in its release, “As we continue to learn about the nature and transmission of COVID-19, we are trying to identify the relevant aspects of our game that are either unique or common among other sports and adjust our Protocols accordingly,
“We will continue to analyze all of these factors and the related medical data will continue to drive all of our decisions.”
Sabres coach Ralph Krueger has tested positive for COVID-19. Jake McCabe, Rasmus Ristolainen, Taylor Hall, Brandon Montour and Tobi Rieder have all been put into NHL COVID-19 protocols.
