Young and single, Thatcher Demko has plenty of free time and little to do. Quarantining to play hockey would be no problem for the Vancouver Canucks goaltender.
“I don’t have many roots,” the 24-year-old said. “I’ve been living in my car for six or seven years, moving from one place to another.”
Older players disagree.
Minnesota goalie Devan Dubnyk doesn’t think players with children would be interested in spending extended periods of time away from their loved ones because of the pandemic. And neither does Boston’s Tuukka Rask, who bluntly said, “It doesn’t feel right to me to take players away from their families for many months.”
It’s a reality players may have to face if the NHL is to resume operations, something Toronto’s Kyle Clifford calls a “hot topic” among players. As the NHL and its players’ union discuss a 24-team playoff format to resume the season, figuring out how to fit family time into a potential quarantine environment is one of many hurdles to overcome.
“It’s definitely a big deal,” said Philadelphia forward James van Riemsdyk, one of the players on the return-to-play committee and a new father. “Nobody wants to be away from their family for months on end and everybody understands that with the members of this committee.”
From Dubnyk and Rask in the NHL to Major League Baseball players Mike Trout and Ryan Zimmerman, professional athletes have expressed concerns about spending extended time away from their families. When baseball considered shutting down in Arizona to play, Zimmerman — whose wife is due to give birth to the couple’s third child in June — said he wouldn’t accept not seeing them for four or five months.
“I can tell you right now that’s not going to happen,” Zimmerman said. “Not many people have to go through that, and it’s not a good idea.”
The NHL, like the NBA, doesn’t have the challenge of completing an entire season. But even an abbreviated return requires coordinating more than 600 players at different stages of their personal lives.
“I think it would be easier for players without family or single players to quarantine and enjoy that process as much as possible,” Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis said. “But it would be tough being a dad myself. It would be tough to FaceTime in that situation. But you have to weigh the pros and cons of each side and figure out what’s important to you and your family.”
The league has looked at several locations that could host games, including Edmonton, Columbus and Las Vegas. Those locations could be large enough for players to bring family members with them, or the format could allow a break in the schedule for teams that advance deep into the playoffs.
“You have to create some kind of bubble, but if families are going in and out, I don’t know,” said Jordan Martinook of Carolina, who has an 18-year-old son he doesn’t want to be away from for more than a month at a time. “It compromises the bubble. I don’t know if they would say your family has to be with you from day one all the time or they can’t come if you’re in the bubble.”
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said league officials are “sensitive to the issue and focused on finding a solution that works for the players.”
New Jersey’s Connor Carrick, whose Devils could be off until the start of next season, said he trusts NHLPA executive director Don Fehr and his staff to make a decision in the best interest of as many players as possible. Those waiting for the chance to play, like Washington’s Beck Malenstyn, are hoping there will be a resolution that balances the isolation of their family members against the risk of them becoming infected.
“I think there’s probably a middle ground between the two,” Malenstyn said. “You definitely don’t want to shut your family out at a time like this. But you also have to think about it if we decide to go back and play. It’s probably for the safety of our family not to have them around, just because of the exposure to all of this.”
Added Vancouver goaltender Demko: “I think everybody’s going to have to make a sacrifice: the players, the owners, the union. I don’t think there’s a scenario where everybody’s going to be happy with the situation.”
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AP sports writers Dave Campbell and Teresa M. Walker contributed to this report.
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For more AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Stephen Whyno and John Wawrow, Associated Press
