NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman appeared on ESPN Monday evening and spoke with Mike Greenberg on the league’s return to play plan. While everyone was amused by the photobombing chipmunk, the commissioner revealed some important information regarding COVID-19 testing.
“If there’s one positive test — again, this will be under the strict guidance of the medical people — that person will be isolated,” Bettman said. “And we’ll be monitoring anybody, through contract tracing, that was in close proximity. Obviously, for any sport, if you have a major outbreak, it’s going to change everything; but we’re being told that an isolated case or a couple of isolated cases shouldn’t interfere with the plans, and we should be able to move forward.”
All sports leagues will be fraught with challenges but none bigger than keeping its players, workers, and their families safe. The key to this will be limiting exposure and isolating everyone involved in a bubble.
That bubble will come in the form of hub cities. As I noted yesterday, Vegas will be the Eastern Conference hub with the hopes that Toronto will be used for the Western Conference.