Quick Hits: March 14, 2020
1) Whenever there is a work stoppage in sports, the first to feel the pinch are part-time arena employees and hourly workers. Among other organization, Comcast-Spectacor has pledged to pay its hourly and part-time workers for the postponed events this month. That was the right thing to do.
2) Today, the Flyers will miss their second postponed game during the NHL's coronavirus-related "pause" of the 2019-20 schedule. The Minnesota Wild were slated to visit the Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center this afternoon. Tomorrow will be the third game, with the postponement of a home matinee against the Edmonton Oilers.
Dating back to the NHL's decision to postpone teams' games indefinitely -- and the separate decision to postpone all events at the Wells Fargo Center through the remainder of March -- the Flyers have five affected home games and five affected road games. They are as follows:
* March 12 @ TB * March 14 vs MIN * March 15 vs EDM * March 17 vs STL * March 20 @ DAL * March 21 @ NSH * March 24 vs NYI * March 26 @ DET * March 28 @ NJ * March 29 vs PIT
In April, the Flyers have three remaining games on the schedule (April 1 @ NYR, April 2 vs NSH, April 4 @ BUF). The first Stanley Cup playoff games are slated for April 8.
Within the Metro Division, the Flyers have already finished their season series against Washington (3-0-1), Carolina (3-0-1), and Columbus (4-0-0). They havee one game apiece remaining against the Islanders (0-2-1), Rangers (3-0-0) and Penguins (1-1-1). There are three remaining games against Atlantic Division teams, and six remaining inter-conference games.
If the NHL does, in fact, reschedule regular season games before starting the playoffs, it will be interesting to see how they are prioritized. The in-division games would seem to be greatest importance, followed by the ones against teams in the Atantic. The problem with simply axing the inter-conference games is that not every team has an equal number of in-conference vs. inter-conference games left even if they've played an equal number of overall games.
There is also the issue of teams needing a reasonable amount of practice time before the next games are played, even in a best-case scenario where teams are allowed to return to their practice facilities in relatively short order. The alternative -- whch would allow the playoffs to start on time, or relatively close to it -- would be to go by points percentage rather than trying to even out each teams' number of overall games and head-to-head games within their division and conference.
The truth of the matter is that there is no perfect solution that will make everyone happy. The NHL will just have to do the best they can, scheduling-wise, under the circumstances. The odds of getting in an 82-game schedule seem slim, and the prospect for extending the playoffs into July -- which affects free agency and off-season training timetables, among other things -- does not seem realistic.
3) According to TSN, the NHL issued a memo to players on Friday, urging them to self-quarantine in their home for the next week or so in order to minimize any possible exposure to the COVID-19 virus.
With a few exceptions (players with disabling injuries), team training facilities including the SkateZone in Voorhees, are considered off-limits. Players with non-disabling injuries are encouraged to communicate with team rehab staff via FaceTime or other non-direct contact.
The league also requested of players not to self-organize training sessions (as they have during CBA-related work stoppages). Instead, the NHL plans to allow teams to take some time for conditioning skating and then to hold a mini-camp of several practices before they return to playing games.
4) With the AHL, ECHL , CHL (OHL, WHL, QMJHL), USHL, and Junior A leagues in Canada also suspending their seasons, the NCAA having canceled the regional tournaments and Frozen Four and the IIHF having canceled the Under-18 World Championships, all 31 NHL teams' scouting operations are on hold indefinitely, both in terms of pro and amateur scouting.
One NHL scout told me yesterday that the Under-18 tournament cancellation alone is going to throw a wrench into the process of filling in some blanks on ranking players eligible for the NHL Draft, and the NCAA cancellation plus the current uncertainty over the CHL playoffs and Memorial Cup further complicates matters. He added, however, that every organization is in the same boat and that, above all, he feels for the players.
Another said, "No is quite sure yet of the lay of the land" in terms of when collegiate seniors and others turning pro will be available to be signed now that the NCAA tourneys have been cancelled. A third said that since there is no NHL or AHL hockey for the time being -- and because there are other matters bigger than hockey itself to deal with -- getting clarification on when these players can be signed is not among the NHL's top priorities right now.
4) The Flyers Alumni have had to postpone all three of their March events. The Friday Night Fights even scheduled for March 13 was posponed on Thursday. Yesterday, the March 27 Flyers Alumni vs. Flyers Warriors Showcase at IceWorks in Aston and the March 28 Flyers Alumni vs. Reading Royals Alumni game at Santander Arena in Reading were also both postponed. Fans can hold onto their tickets (which will be honored when the games are rescheduled) or can obtain refunds at the point of purchase.