The NHL has provided details of what life will be like for the New York Rangers when they enter the “bubble” as the league attempts to resume the season later in the month. Frank Seravalli of TSN provided details to the plan that is expected to be approved within the next couple of days.
NHL bubble rules will be strict for the New York Rangers
The NHL means business with its protocols. Seravalli writes that any team that violates the rules set in the protocol will be subject to “significant penalties, potentially including fines and/or loss of draft picks.†Any player who refuses to follow the testing and monitoring protocol will not be allowed to participate and may be subject to permanent removal from the bubble.
When the Ranger’s entourage arrives at the bubble, every person will be tested three times, 48 hours apart, in the seven days prior to their charter flight to the bubble. They will not be subject to quarantine upon arrival, including for teams/players/staff coming from the United States. Daily testing will begin upon arrival. During the first five days inside the bubble (exhibition games), individuals will only be allowed to engage in social interaction with people from their own team’s traveling party.
Each bubble will be tightly secured, no one will be able to enter/exit that is not authorized. Players will be living in single occupancy rooms, with no roommates, with each team being assigned designated floors. Players are not permitted to enter each other’s rooms. Housekeeping will be provided every third day. Hotel bars and restaurants will be open and available in the bubble, provided social distancing is followed.
The last part has become especially important with recent positive tests, as The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas is reporting that four Blues players and a member of its coaching staff tested positive for coronavirus after several team members visited a bar in Clayton, Missouri, more than a week ago.
If a player tests positive for COVID-19 or develops symptoms in either Phase 3 and 4, teams are not permitted to share that information with the media or public absent prior approval from the NHL (in consultation with the NHLPA).
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 6, 2020
In order to keep players happy and healthy while in the bubble, the NHL is also planning for league-approved “excursions†both inside and outside of the bubble. Think designated tee times at a local golf club, etc. All transportation will be provided to/from the excursion and social distancing, face coverings, and personal hygiene measures will be mandatory. There will also be outdoor areas to walk, exercise, and mingle on campus.
During their time in the bubble, players and staff be required to practice physical distancing wherever possible, including on team buses, while eating meals in restaurants or team conference areas and during exercise. Players are required to wear face coverings at all times except when in their hotel room, on the ice, working out, or eating or drinking. Coaches will not have to wear masks while on the bench, and on-ice officials won’t have to wear them during games.
Between periods during games, bench area including flooring, bench surface, top of dasher board, water bottle area and glass will be disinfected. On #NHL benches, vertical dividers will be installed in the water bottle holders so each players' bottle is separate and upright.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 6, 2020
Players will have access to the hotel pool and fitness center. Each club will be provided with a designated meeting space in the hotel. Each person will also have access to contactless room service delivery, as well as delivery from local restaurants available for pick-up.
#NHL players who are authorized to leave the bubble (for medical reasons or extenuating personal circumstances) can return. They will be forced to quarantine on return pending four negative tests over a four-day period – or longer depending on location or circumstances outside.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 6, 2020
One of the biggest things to remember is that the Rangers will be away from their friends and families for quite a while if they advance in the playoffs. Players’ immediate families (spouse/significant other and children only) will be permitted to join the NHL’s bubble during the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton. Families will be allowed to stay in the same hotel room as the player, only after an acceptable quarantine and daily testing have been conducted inside the bubble. This means that the Rangers or any other team that has advanced that far could go without seeing their families for around five weeks.
Because the players may be away for a while, the Rangers and the other NHL teams will offer to assist families remaining at home by providing grocery delivery and errand delivery services.