What are we even doing?
Covid protocol, asymptomatic players and the NHL
TW: illness, cancer, death - For Gaby only: Sidney Crosby
In the introduction issue of the newsletter, I mentioned how during the early months of the pandemic, I got back into the sport.
Like many others, I watched how the league has handled the pandemic for these past two years.
However, for those who weren’t there for the ride - let’s do a quick recap, shall we?
At the beginning of these “unprecedented times,” nobody knew how to deal with the situation, so during the summer of 2020, most North-American sports leagues decided to hold their playoffs in a “Bubble.”
Commissioner Gary Bettman considered the bubble a success, but we later found out that it turned out to be an unpleasant experience for the players and harmed the mental health of many of them. To be stuck in Edmonton, without seeing the outside world for days, far from your family during a terrifying time, is definitely a nightmare of mine, so I can relate.
Then the season 2020-2021 started. The players were reasonably adamant about not doing another bubble season. The league created new divisions (West, Central, East and North), and to reduce travel, the schedule took on a baseball-inspired style featuring homesteads. They also added the concept of a taxi squad in the event of positive COVID-19 cases on each team.
Outbreaks happened; some were inevitable; others were not. The league’s response (most times) didn’t make sense, but we kept it moving.
We finished the season, and Tampa Bay got their back-to-back. Some of the summer highlights included family reunions at the draft, expansion draft, and the Canes ruined the vibes with their clownery.
Fast forward to the 2021-22 season, the league decided to go back to the “old” normal while keeping a similar version of the protocol of the previous season.
The season started, and COVID-19 continued to run through the NHL, as Ms. Thee Stallion would say, like the Tomb Raider. As cases rose, games were getting postponed (98 games to be precise), and it started messing with the league’s coin.
As we continue to navigate the surge, we still don’t know what the next 3-4 months will look like.
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Please don’t get me wrong; I’m well aware that I don’t understand all the ins and outs surrounding the virus. However, when you unexpectedly get cancer at 22, you try to learn and do everything in your power to not get a disease as contagious as COVID-19. I already deal with enough post-cancer illness that I *really* don’t need to add something that has a list of long-term effects as unpredictable as a game of Russian roulette.
Even so, I’m well informed enough to know that they were talking about an upcoming variant that would slow us down during winter. All scientists talked about wave “#number whatever” (I honestly lost count) this past summer.
Despite the surge, on Tuesday 18th, the NHL followed NBA’s lead and issued an update on the protocol by announcing that they will stop testing asymptomatic players and staff after the All-Star weekend. With the support of the NHLPA, they agreed that testing will only be required for travel and if a person develops symptoms.
If two years into this pandemic, people can’t comprehend that asymptomatic does not equal non-contagious; it’s a lost cause. And seeing how many fans were happy under tweets about the new protocol, it’s not something I want to get into.
Although both leagues are approaching the situation with a “no testing, no cases” mindset, the NHL is not and never will be the NBA.
The league has seven teams on one side of the border, contrary to the NBA, which only has one that can be easily relocated if needed. Travel is more frequent for hockey organizations between the U.S. and Canada. It could result in a giant mess at the border with all the last-minute call-ups. Is it going to be fair in a competitive aspect to teams? Are they going to postpone (more) games if the whole charter jet is positive on their way there?
Also, how can we all be sure that players will voluntarily disclose their symptoms because they are clearly not known to lie to themselves through injuries or illnesses?
Have we not forgotten the great mumps outbreak of 2014?
With the way, things were going and how people were talking (Yes, I’m looking at you, Carter Hart!), this outcome always felt inevitable.
It still doesn’t make it less irresponsible.
Maybe it’s just me, but if 73% of the league already tested positive during the first half of the season and 60% in only the past five weeks, shouldn’t they be testing more than ever to reduce the spread and be effective in their contact tracing?
At this point, it feels like we’re playing with the odds. With so many of them having contracted covid, how do we know that some of them won’t end up developing long covid?
Look at Alphonso Davies - a professional soccer player sidelined after being diagnosed with myocarditis from getting COVID earlier this year.
Sports have to care about social issues. We tend to see them as separate entities, but the players are still active members of our society. Beyond the individual risk they are taking, these players go home to their families, who then go to work or school within their communities, putting others at risk. They also put at risk arena employees who keep getting the short end of the stick and who may not have the choice not to put their life at risk because they have to get their bills paid.
Unlike players who have the privilege of accessing top-of-the-line medical care, most of these folks rely on the same health system that is presently hanging on by a thread.
This shit still matters. Nurses are burned out and quitting their jobs. Hospital ICUs are peaking again. Close to 6 million people worldwide have died.
At what point do we stop asking players what they think of protocols as if they have an understanding of infectious diseases and their impact on society?
Players rarely know best.
Because let’s be honest, players will play regardless, and the league will try their best to generate a profit… unfortunately, at the expense of others.
Other Thoughts:
On Tuesday evening, Mr. Willie O’Ree got to see his No. 22 retired by the Boston Bruins and was awarded the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal for his trailblazing career the next day.
Many of our greats leave without ever seeing their flowers, but I’m grateful to know that Mr. O’Ree got to experience these well-deserved accolades within his lifetime.
Only in Quebec can you be offended about the newly appointed GM of the Habs who speaks French because he got an anglophone last name. However, appointing a white man as the Minister Responsible for the Fight Against Racism (editor’s note: y’all, this is the official title - Gaby) is totally ok because he’s *~*competent*~*, and his wife is Black Haitian.
Kent Hughes is white, a man and speaks French. What more do you want?
Someone needs to explain why people get mad when certain players get passed on by their teams during the draft and then go on to become a successful franchise player somewhere else (i.e. Cale Maker vs Nolan Patrick or even Miro Heiskanen) … like baby, did y’all ever consider the possibility that said player wouldn’t have fit in the organization’s system or turned out to be the great player we currently know?
Maybe it’s because I don’t know what loyalty to hockey teams is, but just root for the player and move on.
No comment needed
Shit I’m Obsessed With This Week
This past Monday, Canada lost a great singer-songwriter in Karim Ouellet. He was one of my fave francophone artists, and I was lucky enough to see him perform numerous times. Since his passing, his discography has been on replay in my house. I recommend giving his album “Trente” a listen if you’re looking for a new artist to discover.
Paix à ton âme, Karim.
I decided to be in my cooking bag for the new year by trying and incorporating more vegetarian recipes each week. One of them was the “Magic tofu” recipe from Loonie. It was so good that I’ve made it twice already.
Disclaimer: The recipe is in French, but it is so easy to make that you can use google translate and not mess it up.
https://www.loouniecuisine.com/fr/recettes/plats-principaux/tofu-magique/
I’ve been on the lookout for the best moisturizing cream on the market for my skin for years now, but I finally found my one true love in “Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide face cream” by Skinfix. I enjoyed the texture of this cream! It’s not too thick or too thin! After one application, my skin was noticeably more hydrated, which is a blessing in this dry climate we are currently going through.
These shows:
Abbott Elementary (Available on ABC or Hulu in the United States and Global TV in Canada)
Portrait-Robot (Available on Club Illico in Canada or TVA+)
The Sex Lives Of College Girls (Available on HBO MAX in the United States and Crave in Canada - The first episode is also available for free on YouTube.)
I thought my newsletter would be shorter than Gaby’s, but I guess not, haha. See y’all soon!
With love,
Perrye