NHL’s response to Canucks’ COVID crisis a shame and a sham

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/04/2021 (1982 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

COVID-19 is no joke. But the way the NHL has mishandled an outbreak on the Vancouver Canucks sure is, suggesting a tone-deaf league that will always put profit over people, including forcing a sickly bunch to hit the ice when it was unsafe to do so.

Only a player-led revolt and some public shaming forced a last-minute change of plans that is just slightly less egregious.

If NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and company had their way, the Canucks would have hosted the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night, their first game since March 24 and the start of a murderous stretch of hockey that would involve 19 games over 31 nights. It would have come after just one measly practice, with multiple players still in virus protocols and others still working their way back from battling serious symptoms that were a result of the more potent Brazil variant.

That, folks, was a recipe for disaster.

Instead, Vancouver was given an extra two days to gear up for what will now be 19 games over 32 days starting Sunday, which is still ridiculous. The NHL is hell-bent on having the Canucks play all 56 regular-season contests, even though they’re miles out of the playoff race. That means still facing off four more times with the cellar-dwelling Ottawa Senators in what will basically be meaningless exhibitions.

Why? The league will cite competitive integrity, which is laughable. How is putting a depleted Canucks crew through such a meat-grinder, with plenty of minor-league call-ups likely needed to take up space, accomplishing that? In reality, they want to bleed every penny they can out of television and broadcast agreements, regardless of the toll its going to take on the athletes themselves.

Never mind that we have recent precedent — last season! — where not every team ended up playing the same amount of games, and winning percentage was ultimately used to determine final standings and draft seedings. Apparently such a solution isn’t even being considered this time, which is a shame. And a sham.

If veteran forward J.T. Miller hadn’t taken the rare step of sounding off publicly earlier this week, suggesting the health and safety of players was at stake, there’s no question the original schedule would have prevailed. And the “suck it up and play” culture that permeates pro sports, especially hockey, would have won yet again.

“I think J.T.’s comments were needed. He had his full teammates support. All of us were thinking the same thing. We definitely felt like we needed more time and it was unsafe,” said Bo Horvat, the Canucks captain, who spoke candidly Friday following the team’s skate at Rogers Arena.

“The way we went about it was what we needed to do. Pushing the games back was definitely the right thing to do. I’m glad we got it done.”

I’m not sure where the NHLPA was in all of this, when the initial return-to-play plan was unveiled, but they eventually got on board and advocated for what Miller was saying. Same goes for Canucks ownership, who should have put the welfare of their players front and centre. Better late than never, I suppose, but I’ll hold my applause for everyone.

As a result, 13 games in the all-Canadian division have been shuffled, and the start of the NHL playoffs, at least north of the border, will be delayed at least a week. Three of the newest changes involve the Winnipeg Jets. Saturday’s game against Edmonton at Bell MTS Place will now start at 6 p.m. instead of 9 p.m., since the Oilers won’t be coming from Vancouver on a back-to-back.

“The way we went about it was what we needed to do. Pushing the games back was definitely the right thing to do. I’m glad we got it done.”
– Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat

Next Wednesday’s game against Toronto has been moved to Thursday. And next Friday’s game against the Maple Leafs has been pushed back to May 14, which will now be the end of a regular-season that was supposed to be done on May 9. All so the league can claim the managed to squeeze every single game in, real-life consequences be damned.

“This was taxing on a lot of guys. Especially when families started to get it. The last thing you want is your family to get hurt or get sick. It was mentally draining,” Horvat said of the outbreak.

He was one of approximately two dozen players, coaches and staff members who got COVID-19. According to reports, forward Adam Gaudette, who was shipped to the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline, was “patient zero” on the team, getting it from a public setting and bringing it back to the group. Horvat’s wife also got sick, and he said it knocked both of them off their feet.

“It was a tough three weeks. It wasn’t easy for anybody who got it. Especially when it starts hitting families, it’s really tough. It takes a lot out of you. You experience symptoms you’ve never really experienced before with flus and colds,” he said.

“The last thing I was worried about was coming back and playing hockey. For me, it was just trying to be a supportive husband, a dad, and looking after my family. It was tough. I’m not going to lie. It was tough to know my family got it from me.”

This outbreak, which is the worst to hit any NHL team this season, also underscores a major issue at play. Players on most American teams have already been vaccinated, and fans in 23 of 24 U.S. markets are now being allowed into buildings in limited capacities. Chicago is the only exception.

Not so here in Canada, where empty buildings will remain for the foreseeable future, and shots in arms for young athletes likely won’t happen for a while.

“It’s a little bit of a slower rollout here in Canada. We’ve got to get the essential workers first,” said Horvat. “It’s a little bit different, knowing that other guys have gotten it. But that’s out of our control. We can’t control that. I guess we just have to wait our turn.”

Horvat closed with an important message, one he hopes will resonate with the public.

“I’ve had the flu before. A lot of people have on this team. It doesn’t hit you like the normal flu does. I’m just being honest, speaking from personal experience. It’s not something that you want to get, it’s not something you want to see your family go through, either,” said Horvat.

“I can’t stress enough to follow the protocols, wear your mask, wash your hands. You can see, it went through not only ourselves in the locker room, but we brought it home to our families. Everybody, just be safe out there, and follow the protocols.”

I’m glad Horvat and company are taking it seriously. It’s too bad we can’t say the same about their greedy employer.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg