Young and single, Thatcher Demko has a lot of free time and little to do. Quarantining to play hockey wouldn’t be a problem for the Vancouver Canucks goaltender.
“I don’t have too many roots,” the 24-year-old said. “I’ve basically been living without my car for six or seven years, moving from place to place.”
Older players disagree.
Minnesota guard Devan Dubnyk doesn’t think players with children would be interested in spending extended periods of time away from loved ones amid the pandemic. And neither did Boston’s Tuukka Rask, who bluntly said, “It doesn’t seem right to take men away from their families for many, many months at a time.” »
It’s a reality players may have to face for the NHL to resume play, 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.
“Of course it’s a big thing,” said Philadelphia forward James van Riemsdyk, one of the players on the return-to-play committee and a new father. “No one wants to be away from their family for months, and everyone is aware of that with the members of this committee.”
Universal concerns
From Dubnyk and Rask in the NHL to Major League Baseball players Mike Trout and Ryan Zimmerman, professional athletes have expressed concerns about spending significant time away from their families. As baseball considered creating a containment bubble in Arizona, 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 experience this, nor should they.”
The NHL, like the NBA, does not take on the challenge of trying to complete an entire season. But even an abbreviated return requires the coordination of more than 600 players at different stages of their personal lives.
“I think it would be easier for guys without families or singles to quarantine and enjoy this process as much as possible,” Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis said. “But it would be difficult to be a father myself. It would be difficult to FaceTime in this situation. But you have to weigh the pros and cons of each side and what’s important to you and your family.”
Looking for family accommodation
The league was exploring various locations that could host games, including Edmonton, Columbus and Las Vegas. They could be large enough for players to bring family members with them, or the format could allow a break in the schedule for teams advancing deep into the playoffs.
“You kind of have to create this bubble, but if families are coming in and out, then I don’t know,” said Jordan Martinook of Carolina, who has a 1-year-old son he doesn’t want to be away from. for more than a month at a time. “It kind of 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 if they can’t come if you’re in the bubble.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said league officials are “sensitive to the issue and are focused on finding a solution that works for the players.”
New Jersey’s Connor Carrick, whose Devils could be out until the start of next season, said he trusts NHLPA executive director Don Fehr and his staff to make a decision in the best possible way. interest of as many players as possible. Those waiting for the chance to play, like Washington’s Beck Malenstyn, hope there will be a resolution that balances isolating family members against the risk of them becoming infected.
“I think there’s probably a happy medium between the two,” Malenstyn said. “You definitely don’t want to close the door on your family during a time like this. But you also have to think about it if we were to take that step to go back and play, it’s the safety of your family to probably not have them either, just with the exposure to everything.”
Demko, the Vancouver goaltender, added: “I think everyone will have to make a sacrifice: the players, the owners, the union. I don’t think there is a scenario in which everyone would be happy with the situation.”
