|
To play or not to play really wasn't a difficult question to answer |
|
|
|
|
|
As fictional sports anchor Ron Burgundy might say about the NHL suspending its season, this really escalated quickly.
One minute, we were monitoring the impact of the coronavirus Covid-19. The next minute we were talking about playing games without fans. Then suddenly the NHL was joining the NBA in putting the regular-season on hiatus.
The fact no one has any idea what happens from here is exactly why Commissioner Gary Bettman made the wise decision in hitting the pause button.
Anyone who watched events unfold yesterday knew the news kept getting worse. Germany expects 70% of its population to contract the virus. Italian hospitals and the country’s medical personnel have been overrun by the exponentially-growing number of cases. Italy is on lockdown. Anthony Fauci, director of the Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a Congressional committee that the Coronavirus is ten times more lethal than standard flu.
By the end of the night, one NBA player Rudy Gobert of Utah Jazz had tested positive for the virus. This morning another his Jazz teammate Donovan Mitchell also tested positive.
Given the number of facilities NBA and NHL share, the positive player tests seemed like the last straw. Dressing rooms are like petri dishes where all manner of foul microorganisms can thrive.
The NHL is now a $5 billion business and the NBA bringing in even more. With the lucrative playoffs right around the corner, neither league would have made this move if league officials didn’t believe this was a perilous time.
There’s no question this was the right decision, handled as well as it could be handled.
Although no one can predict how the coronavirus will impact North American , the NHL clearly is hoping that a Stanley Cup will be awarded this season. You hear rumblings around the NHL that the NHL Players Association has been asked about playing in July if that is possible.
If play is resumed in a month or six weeks, and no one should bet on that, the best guess would be the NHL would go directly to the playoffs. The regular-season would stand as is.
The playoff teams could be determined on the basis of points-per-game played. In other words, if two teams are tied for a wild card spot with an equal number of points the team with the fewer games played would earn the bid.
The other rumor floating around is that for this season, there might be play-in games for teams that are just outside of a playoff position. The ninth place team would play the eighth place team in each conference, or maybe both wild card teams in each conference would face a play-in game.
Those winner-take-all play-in games are immensely popular for fans in baseball, and this could give NHL officials a chance to see if they like them.
But all of this is merely discussion to occupy our time. The only important issue here is that NHL officials have made the right call for the safety of all involved.
It’s hard to make any reasonable argument to play in this current environment.
I saw some comments on social media from a fan who believed the NHL should have played games without fans to give fans the opportunity to watch on television. We will need the diversion, he offered. His argument is that athletes are younger, healthier and don’t face the same level of danger as other Americans.
If they contract the virus, their symptoms would be an annoyance, not a threat to their life. Statistically that might be true, but no one can predict what will happen with the virus moving forward. We have no history with this virus.
What we do know is that infected people, even those with mild symptoms, transmit this virus easier than we would like. And they could take the virus home and infect their mom and dad who are over 60, in a age group with a higher death rate.
The fact I’ve covered the NHL for 34 seasons is proof of my affinity for this sport. But I’m steaming toward my 65th birthday, and I don’t want to risk death to let you watch the NHL on television.
Plus, NHL officials know from the league’s history that thumbing your nose at a pandemic can have dire consequences. The NHL attempted to play the Stanley Cup playoffs during the 1919 Spanish flu epidemic. Players in the Stanley Cup Final began experiencing flu symptoms. The Final had to be cancelled.
Hall of Fame defenseman Joe Hall played for the Montreal Canadiens in that Final. He was one of the flu victims. His symptoms evolved into pneumonia. Four days later he died. He was 37.
Temporarily shutting down the league today was the most socially conscious decision, given that we have no idea what lies ahead.
Blogger •HHOF Writer's column on the NHL • 
Join the Discussion:
»