The NHL is supposedly going to training camps relatively soon. I say supposedly because this is about the worst time in the world to be talking about sports: the second wave is here and it is strong, the cities that did host the NHL bubbles are close to crisis mode, and the NHL does not have a return to play plan created alongside the NHLPA.
The return to play plan is going to be the trickiest part of the whole thing because unlike last time they returned to play, they are looking at a regular season instead of the playoffs. It makes less sense to create bubbles when you have every team playing every team. Maybe they will plan against any cross conference play. No one knows.
What I do know is that limiting contacts and staying home is something public health has been pushing. Oddly enough it feels like the safest place for me to be besides home is at work. I work in a school. No one comes in outside of our staff and students and we all are checked in when we show up at work.
The NHL and NHLPA are going to have to agree on what is acceptable risk if there is acceptable risk. The NHL has cancelled a season before due to a lockout. Would they do the same for a pandemic?
