NHL Covid Safety is a Joke

As of writing the NHL has postponed 46 games due to covid, almost an entire teams worth of games (shortened season down to 56 games) have been postponed! Yet the NHL doesn’t seem to care nor do they seem like they want to. I see some pretty clear ways they could curve the spread of the virus, now given none of these are perfect nor will they fully stop the spread of Covid. If the NHL would work with their suppliers I’m sure they could build a near perfect solution.


The first thing they could do is pretty easy, but the players seem to hate for no logical reason at all would be full face shields with the use of splash guards. Now before you go well they can’t see, they fog up, or my favourite it wont help there are still holes. First off goalies (I do understand they’re Jeti) wear masks that have a prison cells attached to them they have no problem stoping a puck going upwards of a 100 MPH. Players in most lower leagues wear some sort of full shield mask. I also ask have you every worn a full shield like the Bauer Concept 3 because I have and I can see perfect. For those who think they fog up they don’t but they also make this lovely product called Anti-fog spray or gel. Yes there are still holes and yes it wont be 100% effective but I believe that if the NHL worked with their partners they could come up with an even better solution then is currently available, also would you rather the person serving you food to wear a mask with a few holes in the that face down and away from your food or would you rather them wear no mask at all. They wouldn’t even need to implement this during games, it seems that most of the infection cover happens during practice. If they could contain the outbreak to one or two players it would avoid having to PPD games.


Secondly why are they starting practice before the negative tests have come back? On the 30th Gaudette joined practice before a positive or negative test had come back, part way through practice his test came back positive he left the went into covid protocol immediately. Now we are 5 days later and the Canucks have 16 players and 3 coaches in covid protocol. I know people that work in a space smaller then Rogers arena with over one hundred employees and deal with over one thousand customers a day. There total out break from two different employees working two full eight hours shifts equalled out to zero transmissions. Zero additional people contacted Covid.


In closing the NHL response and protocol calls have been monumentally horrid at best. It is an embarrassment, I am embarrassed to be a fan. I understand these are people in peak physical condition but the issue is that the spread of the virus goes beyond just them, how many people did the additional 15 players and 3 coaches come into contact after being infected. The NHL needs to open there eyes take a long look at themselves and start working towards a safer environment for everyone.

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