If everything goes according to plan, which is probably a silly thing to even suggest in a year like 2020, we’ll be watching hockey again soon.
Sometime in January, you’ll scramble to find the TV remote just before 7 PM. You’ll turn to TSN or Sportsnet (shudder), the intro music will kick in and you’ll watch the talking heads tee up the evening’s match-up.
Maybe you’ll crack a beer. Maybe the kids will interrupt and you’ll miss most of the first period.
Whether it’s in those absurdly beautiful black 2D jerseys or the more than adequate white road look, a collection of Ottawa Senators will skate around on your television screen. They’ll score. You’ll cheer.
It’s going to be glorious.
But with each passing day, and week, it’s becomingly increasingly apparent that getting this season underway is anything but a formality.
Whether it’s the health and safety protocols, the roster details or the underlying financial concerns, it’s clear that there is a ton of work going on behind the scenes right now and it’s anything but a sure thing.
Yesterday, Commissioner Gary Bettman provided a bit of an update on where things stand and based on his explanation, just about everything is a work in progress. Right down to the point where the league is still studying the possibility of starting the season in hub cities.
Seems like a fairly major detail to sort out at this stage of the game.
There had previously been suggestions that the NHL and NHLPA could present a finalized plan to the Board of Governors as early as this week but as you may be aware, today is uhh Thursday. So not a lot of time there.
On the hub possibility, Bruce Garrioch suggests that despite Ottawa’s mostly encouraging case numbers, the city isn’t really on the league’s radar.
Yet anyway.
And while Garrioch is suggesting that a lack of buy-in from the Mayor’s office might be the reason, I suspect it’s more complicated than that. Both Toronto and Edmonton have experience implementing the league’s hub model so it makes sense to go back there. Especially because in this case, it’s not expected to be a long-term thing.
Either way, the fact that these fundamental issues are still being discussed less than a month out from the proposed opening night, is a tad concerning. And listening to Bettman’s comments yesterday, it sure seems like a lot of this is still being worked out.
Players are returning to their home cities in anticipation of a new season. What looks a lot like an NHL practice can be seen in cities around North America. We’re close. Now it’s up to the NHL and NHLPA to come up with a plan that works for everyone.
Tick. Tock.
World Juniors in a week though!
