A local former NHL player is hoping hockey and the NHL can return to play and award the Stanley Cup, but he remains skeptical.
On the VOCM Friday Morning Sports Spotlight with Ben Murphy, former Montreal Canadiens first-round draft pick Terry Ryan said he can’t imagine trying to play in the Stanley Cup playoffs in this fashion, but he truly hopes it can happen, and in the safest manner possible.
NHL teams have moved into their respective bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton, and have been on the ice practicing since last week. The qualifier round and round-robin of the playoffs are set to begin on Saturday, August 1st.
Does It Feel Good To Be Back? Yes, can confirm.
The #StanleyCup Qualifiers begin Aug. 1. pic.twitter.com/bXmMV55dGo
— NHL (@NHL) July 17, 2020
There are players in the NHL with diabetes and other medical conditions who have already opted out of the return to play. He says injuries are one thing, but it’s another to have random players not play with any notice. Ryan uses the Pittsburgh Penguins as an example. He claims if Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin can’t play a few days in, it changes the entire dynamic of the team.
Ryan also shines a light on the impact no fans in the arena will have.
He says with that, you may see fighting completely eliminated from the game. Ryan says if there is no crowd, although he supports it in the game, fighting will look similar to rec hockey. In this particular case with the seriousness of the virus, he believes it makes it look childish and silly, but he doesn’t know what the optics will look like.
However, if the NHL does return and the Stanley Cup playoffs get underway, Ryan says you can certainly count on him to tune into the action.