(ELMONT, NY) The Golden Knights-Islanders game is over an hour ago when you board the shuttle that runs from the brand new UBS Arena to the nearest functional train station.
“What are you doing with your big suitcase?” the driver is surprised.
– I came to the game directly from the airport. But I did it for nothing, tomorrow’s game is canceled.
– Is the match canceled? Leave for me! ”
We would have liked to report such enthusiastic reactions from the players, but here is the best we got.
“We found out when we got back to the locker room after the game,” admitted Jean-Gabriel Pageau, a few minutes after a 4-3 loss to the Islanders in a shootout.
“The NHL and the Players’ Association made the right decision. We like to play in front of our fans, we were playing well lately, but it’s out of our control. I’m sure they made the decision based on the safety of the players and the families. ”
Guinea pigs
We guess that no one will be angry, among the Islanders, to avoid welcoming the Canadian, a team at risk of an outbreak. In the last two days, two players have been added to the list of absentees linked to COVID-19 (Artturi Lehkonen and Laurent Dauphin), and Cédric Paquette is in administrative segregation pending test results.
This is what the islanders have already given in terms of viruses. At the end of November, a little before the explosion of cases in the NHL, they had seven players unavailable at the same time. Only one of their game was postponed, but their outbreak coincided with an 11-game losing streak.
That’s why Barry Trotz, the team’s head coach, was hardly moved when asked if he approved of the NHL’s decision to continue the season, despite the outbreaks a everywhere.
“They have the numbers and the people to make these decisions. If you can play, you play, the Manitoban simply replied. No one took pity on us when we had our COVID cases. We and Ottawa were the guinea pigs, to help the league collect data. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for us and now we need to get out of this mess. ”
This is probably also why the team is so vigilant in its protective measures. Since the outbreak a month ago, the Islanders have operated exclusively by videoconference for interviews. Around here, however, we suspect that prevention has a broad back and that the always suspicious Lou Lamoriello takes the opportunity to keep journalists away, but that’s a whole other discussion …
For or against the break?
Officially, there were eight teams in full shutdown in the NHL at least until Christmas, including the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs, as of Sunday night. In fact, we can also add the Senators, Jets, Oilers and Canucks; Even if these teams have not suspended their activities, the cancellation of matches requiring border crossings means that they will probably not play by the time the good Saint Nicholas passes through their chimney.
With almost half of the teams on hiatus, it is therefore questionable whether a generalized hiatus might not be the best option, whether it is until Christmas or until 1er January. The option will be even more playable if it is confirmed that NHL players will not compete in the Olympics, as this would allow games to be rescheduled in February.
Brendan Gallagher did not want to go too far on the question.
“We have to play 82 games, and we knew we were going to deal with that and that there was the possibility that we had to resume games. You do not want to play in front of empty stands either, recalled the small right winger of the Canadian.
“If you can move matches to have a full amphitheater and the solution is two weeks out, that makes sense. But we don’t want to stop. Like everyone else, we want to work, to feel that we have a goal. I’m sure the rest of the world feels the same. We want to find solutions to make it safe. We don’t close any doors. There are already teams at a standstill, but if we are able to play, we play. ”
Trotz said he hoped the Christmas break would be enough to stem the outbreaks.
“If they can use it to limit the spread, and the other teams continue in the meantime, why not keep playing? Trotz wondered. You won’t be able to get all the matches on the calendar if we take breaks. We are one of the teams that played the fewest games in the league. If we are stopped, we will have to play 23 games in 30 days, and that would not be correct for the athletes, the league or the fans. The league is doing the right thing. Let’s keep playing, we’ll find solutions along the way. We will naturally have breaks in the calendar and we will adjust. ”
That said, his team operates in the shadow of a city, New York, where there are 6,000 cases per day (moving average of the last seven days). In short, in these environments where fire is caught, the teams will have to take exceptional measures to limit contact between their members and the rest of the population. Otherwise a break would not work.
With Simon-Olivier Lorange, Press