The first of my weekly-ish blog post on the soap opera that is hockey.
o1. Hockey is Back
So. The NHL is back for a truncated 56-game season. In attempt to mitigate the danger of COVID-19, divisions have been reconfigured to limit travel. They are kind of geographical, in that all the Canadian teams are in the northern division (or Scotia NHL North Division, if we use the full, sponsored name), and the Mass Mutual NHL East Division groups some of the Metropolitan division with some of the Atlantic Division. Even with my weak grasp of American geography, I can see that it’s a bit of a reach to include the Florida teams with something called the Discover NHL Central Division, while Minnesota is in the Honda NHL West Division.
Team will play only within their division, which makes sense. I, for one, look forward to seeing the Philadelphia Flyers locked in an eternal battle with the Pittsburgh Penguins, even if I’m not sure I have the emotional fortitude for whatever Toronto Maple Leafs drama is bound to ensue.
o2. Hockey goes Viral
So far, COVID-19 has affected the start of the season for the Dallas Stars, with seventeen players, and at least two staffers, testing positive for COVID-19. Their first two games were postponed and they’re due to start their season on January 22, against the Nashville Predators. I’m not entirely sure how the NHL protocol is working for positive tests and it will be interesting to see how the season unfolds.
Since the season has started, teams now have to name which players have tested positive which makes a change from “upper body injuries” and “lower body injuries” and the usual league obfuscation when it comes to injury and illness.
(On that note, welcome back to Erik Johnson, one of my not-so-secret non-Capital faves)
It can be very difficult to justify professional sport resuming in a world still being ravaged by a pandemic, especially when we see how much hospitals and healthcare centres are struggling and when we see how many people have suffered, whether it’s directly due to contracting COVID-19, or non-COVID medical conditions worsening and going undiagnosed, or the economical, educational and psychological damage caused by COVID and the restrictions required to mitigate its spread.. Professional sports are played by rich men and owned by richer men. They’re just a game.
But.
Yes, there is a but. It’s hockey: of course there’s a butt. I’m sitting here in my apartment during yet another lockdown and I’m not one of those people (if they exist) who has taken up hobbies or become ultra-creative while stuck inside all the time. Hell, sometimes I struggle to do my housework. Hockey is, at the very least, entertainment, and I think that shouldn’t be underestimated.
Everyone, as they say, is fighting their own battle so I think we can be forgiving of others, and of ourselves, for indulging in the escapism of hockey and for enjoying our online communities of fans.
There is one thing I would beg of NHL coaches, though. It is protocol for behind-the-bench staff to wear facemasks, which is great! If nothing else, the optics are good. Hashtag normalise mask-wearing twenty twenty one, etc etc. However, guys. Buddies. Pals. If you’re going to wear a mask, make sure you wear it over your mouth and nose, stop touching it and, for the love of god, don’t pull down your mask to shout at your players, the other team’s players or the referees.
o3. How About Them Capitals?
I have to admit that I wasn’t playing the closest of attention to the Capitals during the offseason, at least in part because I didn’t really believe there’d be a season until it was finalised and players were trickling back to DC for training camp. That’s not to say that I wasn’t constantly surprised by the various offseason signings. I’m still gutted that we won’t get to see Henrik Lundqvist play as a Capital but his health, and aortic valve and root replacement surgery, is definitely a priority. The Capitals also signed Conor Sheary (surprise) and Zdeno Chara (much bigger surprise) and it’s going to be fun to see how they fit in.
The Capitals are an old team but to watch them play these first three games, I don’t think we can say they’re lacking motivation or skill. As much as Ovechkin and Backstrom are the leaders, the first three games have really shown how Tom Wilson and Jakub Vrana are as integral to the team’s success as the legends who lead the way. The Capitals have many, many defencemen and I’m not sure I have a real handle on how they’re doing, other than to say that Carlson and Orlov as a pairing put the heart across me, and that I really really love Brenden Dillon.
They’re 2-1-0 to start the season, which I’ll take. I could have done without them losing to the Penguins but there are seven more chances to put that right. Maybe next week, I’ll be in a better position to assess the Capitals but for now? For now, hockey is back and I intend to enjoy it. (It’s that, or learn how to bake banana bread. And I’m allergic to bananas.)
whelmed.blog 