The Sabers are furious because they were forced to play at home against the Devils last Sunday in perhaps foggy circumstances, while the NBA Nets, on the other hand, are furious that Kevin Durant was not allowed to remain on the ground on Friday.
Which is to suggest, or perhaps remember, that trying to play seasons of professional sports through the teeth of a pandemic is an imperfect science and there will be room for criticism about the abundance of caution and not being cautious enough.
Mistakes will be made. The protocols will have to be adjusted. And the NHL will certainly need to gather more information about whether team-to-team transmission is indeed a reality, although medical professionals who advise the league believe that infections are much more likely to spread among teammates who spend time. together indoors.
That’s why, I’m told, teams are reminding their players and teams not to become negligent in social detachment and wearing masks in training arenas.
We live with inconsistent mandates and regulations in every part of our lives. Why is this establishment open and why is it closed? Why is this school open, but not this one?
And, in the case of the NHL, what is the point of ensuring that players are two meters away in the locker room – by a new guideline issued this week, clubs must reconfigure the homes and rooms of visitors to accommodate the appropriate social distance , which is probably a physical impossibility in most buildings – if they are compressed together, breathing heavily on the bench?
It sure seems paradoxical.
The Sabers were apparently upset that they were unable to obtain information from the Devils or the league about the condition of Kyle Palmieri, who had played on Saturday, January 30, but was placed on the COVID shortlist the next day. This in the context of several demons previously placed on the list.
But the protocols agreed by the NHL and the NHLPA prohibited the Devils or the league from providing further information to the Sabers about Palmieri, who could have tested positive, but who could also be on the shortlist for contact tracking.
We have been informed that the parties can review this policy, although it is not clear whether the communication of a hypothetical positive test result to Palmieri would have altered the league’s decision to proceed with the match. Undoubtedly, it would have generated a deeper dialogue, but the Sabers would not have been able to unilaterally postpone the game.
Sources indicated that the NHL expects vaccines to be available to players in perhaps another month or six weeks. If waves of delays continue and outbreaks spread, there should probably be a dialogue about suspending the season until vaccinations are completed and reshaping to (what?) A 40-game schedule.
The MLB played 60 games last year and produced a reliable World Series champion, so there should be no concern about delegitimizing the playoffs or the Stanley Cup if the NHL schedule needs further reduction. The season is being conducted under unique guidelines, anyway.
If the Players’ Association believes that its members are having their health at risk, the union has an obligation to involve the league in its concerns by all means. But I have the distinct impression that, at least at this juncture, the AP and the NHL are operating at almost the same pace.
This week, the league (with PA approval) issued a directive that essentially prevented players from reporting to the games until an hour and 45 minutes before the disc was released, unless medical treatment was required. Most players report between two and a half hours and three hours before the game.
After the entry of the players, the decree was changed so that the athletes can report before the 1:45 limit, “to receive the necessary treatment or to get involved in preparations before the Game”.
I really believe that professional sports leagues are condemned if they do and condemned if they don’t. I believe that the leagues are concerned about the health of their players, at least in the same way as fans or politicians from the countryside with bad records looking to score cheap points.
Imagine my surprise at becoming a kind of Sixth Avenue apologist.
So my good friends at The Athletic – Scott Burnside, Craig Custance and Pierre Lebrun – created lineups designed for the 2022 Olympics. For the US team, only four right defenders were named – Jeff Petry, John Carlson, Charlie McAvoy and Seth Jones.
But neither they, nor you, and most importantly the US Team hierarchy, should not sleep with Adam Fox, who is emerging as an elite talent in his second season on the Rangers blue line.
Artemi Panarin is the best Rangers player. But Fox is not far behind. Fox is a legitimate candidate, although his resume and portfolio are not as complete as the aforementioned quartet.
Come to think of whether, this deal for a defender who originally refused to sign with Calgary after being summoned by the Flames worked a little better than the one about 10 years ago for Tim Erixon, didn’t it?
In the wake of Jason Spezza, 37, registering a hat-trick this week for the Maple Leafs, it is worth remembering that on June 23, 2001, the Islanders and Mike Milbury exchanged the choice of draft that would have yielded Spezza, in addition to Zdeno Chara, to the senators in exchange for Alexi Yashin.
It almost makes Rick Middleton for Ken Hodge seem reasonable. Or, for the Oilers, Ryan Strome for Ryan Spooner.
Then, going back: The n. Islanders’ all-time No. 17: 1. Greg Gilbert; 2. Jude Drouin; 3. Shawn Bates; 4. Matt Martin; 5. Alex McKendry. Mention: Wendell Clark.
If you can point me to a more disastrous contract in the league than Jeff Skinner, who has a point (an assist) in 10 games this year and has recorded 24 points (14-10) in 69 games since the Sabers signed the winger for an eight-year extension with an average annual value of $ 9 million a year, I’m all ears.