Work on protocols delaying Hub city location?
Bob McKenzie: The NHL and NHLPA could announce the Hub cities today, but also not a surprise if it’s delayed. The sides are still trying to finalize all the protocols and terms for Phase 4.
The delays may be more due to the amount of work needed to be done on the protocols and less to do with the locations.
Arthur Staple: Heard yesterday that it’s looking like Vegas and Toronto will be the Hub Cities and that teams in the East will play in Toronto, and the West plays in Vegas.
Salary cap will strangle contenders for three years
Larry Brooks: “For years, the NHL insisted that cap/HRR linkage was inviolable. At the first sign of economic distress (NOW), the NHL abandons it because it cannot work. Yet the NHL is holding fast to an arbitrary hard cap that will strangle nearly every contender in the league the next 3 yrs.”
15 Positive COVID Tests out of the 250 players in Phase 2
NHL Public Relations: Statement from the NHL on COVID-19 testing results.
“As of Monday, June 29, the NHL has had in excess of 250 Players report to Club training/practice facilities for optional participation in Phase 2 activities. There have been in excess of 1,450 COVID-19 tests administered to this group of Players. Those tests have resulted in a total of 15 Players returning confirmed positive test results for COVID-19.
In addition, since June 8 (the opening of Phase 2), the League is aware of 11 additional Players who have tested positive for COVID-19 outside of the Phase 2 Protocol. All Players who have tested positive have been self-isolated and are following CDC and Health Canada protocols. The NHL will continue to provide regular updates on the number of tests administered to Players and the results of those tests.”
Four areas return to plays needs to focus on to limit COVID exposure
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet: Zachary Binney, an epidemiologist on 31 Thoughts Podcast.
“If I had to summarize the most important things,” he said. “There’s four big elements that we need to be focused on. One is some sort of centralization or sequestering, to limit contact between people within the league and people outside of the league. Number two is frequent testing so that when cases do occur, they don’t turn into big outbreaks. Ideally, that would be daily testing. The third is mask-wearing all the time when you’re around anybody else and not actively on the ice. And the fourth is limiting time in enclosed spaces with many people — locker rooms, showers, things like that. Severely restricting the time that you’re spending together in those sorts of environments.”