Brendan Gallagher misses the restaurants, the laughs, the camaraderie and the bonding.
He isnB次元官网网址檛 alone.
NHL road trips, especially early in the season, are usually chances to get to know new teammates and reconnect with familiar faces.
After a summer that saw 24 clubs sequestered in tightly-controlled bubbles to keep COVID-19 at bay following months of uncertainty, players are grateful to travel and compete in a 56-game campaign set against the pandemicB次元官网网址檚 backdrop.
They feel fortunate when so many people are stuck at home, or have lost jobs, businesses and loved ones.
There are many differences, however, when comparing 2020-21 to a normal NHL season.
Fans across Canada and in many U.S. markets are barred from arenas to prevent the spread of the virus. The league produced 213 pages of protocols aimed at reducing the risk of exposure.
Those rules are both strict and clear across the board, but nowhere more so than when clubs are on road trips.
Travelling players and coaches are allowed in the airport, hotel and arena B次元官网网址� thatB次元官网网址檚 it.
No meals out on the town. No team-building off site. ThatB次元官网网址檚 a lot of down time with plenty of two- and three-game series in the same city to reduce travel.
B次元官网网址淟ittle things,B次元官网网址� Gallagher, a Montreal Canadiens winger, said of what he missed during his teamB次元官网网址檚 13 days away from home to open the season.
B次元官网网址淒inner on the road is something that you really look forward to. ItB次元官网网址檚 just good times with the guys, one of the best parts of the year.B次元官网网址�
Many team staples on charter flights have been nixed to minimize physical contact.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 really missing the cards on the plane,B次元官网网址� Gallagher added with a grin.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 used to beating Tuna (linemate Tomas Tatar) and seeing the anger in his eyes, so I miss that.B次元官网网址�
Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly said some teammates might actually prefer quieter flights with mandatory assigned seating, without the back-and-forth banter as bluffs are made and hands are shown.
B次元官网网址淛ust some more time on your own,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淧eople actually have a chance to read a book.B次元官网网址�
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who grew up in Newmarket, Ont., said an early-season trip to Toronto felt strange.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 always a bit of a homecoming to see some friends and family,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e obviously canB次元官网网址檛 do that right now.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 definitely a different vibe,B次元官网网址� McDavid added. B次元官网网址淢asks on the plane, following all the protocols. We want to be safe first and foremost.B次元官网网址�
Teams stay at the same hotel in each NHL city. Players and coaches are not allowed to enter each otherB次元官网网址檚 rooms.
ThereB次元官网网址檚 assigned seating at meals with tables spread out to ensure proper distancing.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just quiet,B次元官网网址� Rielly said. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 not a whole lot going on. We try to bond over meals and make time for that aspect of things. You have to build that time in.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just a little bit different.B次元官网网址�
Leafs winger Mitch Marner recently mused about packing a karaoke machine as a team activity, but Reilly said it didnB次元官网网址檛 accompany Toronto on a recent four-game swing through Alberta.
B次元官网网址淚 think thatB次元官网网址檚 in the works though,B次元官网网址� Rielly added.
Winnipeg Jets defenceman Nathan Beaulieu said sequestering on the road B次元官网网址� for the publicB次元官网网址檚 safety as well as their own B次元官网网址� is an adjustment after years of taking in sights and sounds of other NHL cities.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 one of the treats being in this league,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a little more taxing on the brain not being able to move around the city and get out and get some air, but we all signed up for this.
B次元官网网址淲e knew what it was going to be like.B次元官网网址�
Staying in one spot does have some team-building benefits, Beaulieu added.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 kind of old-school, just hanging out and telling stories in the lounge,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 actually a great opportunity for the team to bond. You canB次元官网网址檛 all be at the same table, but I think it helps get a team a little bit closer.
B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檝e got everyone together, not five guys going somewhere and 10 guys going somewhere else.B次元官网网址�
Less travel wear and tear is another silver lining, said Gallagher.
B次元官网网址淧laying three games in the same city is something really nice,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭he travel is something we canB次元官网网址檛 really complain about.B次元官网网址�
Breaches in health and safety rules are dealt with harshly by the NHL.
The Washington Capitals found out what that meant when captain Alex Ovechkin and three Russian teammates were B次元官网网址渦navailableB次元官网网址� to play after breaking COVID-19 protocols by mingling in a hotel room unmasked.
Ovechkin missed four games and the club was also fined US$100,000.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a zero ask,B次元官网网址� Anaheim Ducks head coach Dallas Eakins said of the NHLB次元官网网址檚 rules. B次元官网网址淭here are people sacrificing far more than us.
B次元官网网址淲e have to stay in a really nice hotel and have a whole bunch of space given to us by the hotel, and our sacrifice is we have to put a mask on and not go into restaurants B次元官网网址� . IB次元官网网址檓 not sure thatB次元官网网址檚 any ask at all.B次元官网网址�
Winnipeg bench boss Paul Maurice said another plus of the current road environment is the up to six players on each teamB次元官网网址檚 taxi squad are able to integrate more into NHL life.
B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檙e going to have some guys that are on the taxi squad that would have been (in the minors) that now get to spend a little time with (Jets stars) Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler, and they get to know these guys a little bit better,B次元官网网址� Maurice said.
B次元官网网址淭here can be some really good interactions.B次元官网网址�
Ottawa Senators forward Chris Tierney said despite the restrictions, itB次元官网网址檚 still good to get out of town with new teammates B次元官网网址� of which he has many following a roster overhaul in the nationB次元官网网址檚 capital.
B次元官网网址淵ou still see them a lot more when youB次元官网网址檙e on the road than when youB次元官网网址檙e at home,B次元官网网址� Tierney said. B次元官网网址淵ou canB次元官网网址檛 come in close contact, but you can still have conversations with guys.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 still nice to chat more, spend a little more time at the rink. ItB次元官网网址檚 tough you canB次元官网网址檛 go outside the hotel to do team-bonding stuff, but weB次元官网网址檝e made it work.B次元官网网址�
Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe, whose roster also has a number of new faces, said manufacturing chemistry will be difficult in this unusual season.
B次元官网网址淭he protocols make it tough for a lot of the things that would organically happen B次元官网网址� the players getting together on their own,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t is a challenge.B次元官网网址�
One off-season addition in Toronto is defenceman Zach Bogosian. HeB次元官网网址檚 coming off his first road trip with his new teammates.
B次元官网网址淪pending time with the guys, thatB次元官网网址檚 what makes being in this league so special,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏uilding those bonds.B次元官网网址�
And like so much of the world, theyB次元官网网址檙e just doing things differently in 2021.
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Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
