The NHL's Response to Coronavirus

The NHL, just like many other major sports organizations, shut down in March when there was an outbreak of coronavirus. They had to get their players back to work and they did this by using a "Bubble" to protect players. This is similar to what the NBA did in their restart as well.

The NHL had 24 of its 31 teams in the bubble so they had to be smart with how they isolated everyone seeing that there were so many staff and personnel to accommodate for. As a result the NHL utilized two hub cities: Toronto and Edmonton to set up two different bubbles for the conferences. This helped keep the number of people in one area limited and lessened the chances of a Covid outbreak.

The "bubble" had a limiting factor on players lives as they couldn't see their family while they were playing. The NHL playoffs ended up going on for about 2 full months and it was capped off with the lightning winning the Stanley Cup.

The NHL was able to be successful just like the NBA with their bubble approach to players safety. There were no positive cases during the playoffs. The one big question is how the upcoming season will look?

I personally don't think the "bubble" will work for a long term season for any sport because it asks too much of the players. They have to say goodbye to their families and loved ones for an extended period of time to go play their sport. I think the NHL will have to figure out some other way to keep players safe and also have them play.

The new season is expected to start up sometime next year and I will be interested in seeing what it looks like. Hopefully the players can stay safe but at the same time be involved with their families and the game of hockey.