Before NHL get green light to resume play, one major hurdle remains for players, staff with families

The Bruins may not step foot inside TD Garden for the remainder of 2020, but David Pastrnak isn't all that concerned about Boston's pursuit of a Stanley Cup being constrained to one neutral-site rink.

For the B's winger, playing 40+ games away from the friendly confines on Causeway Street is part of the grind of a regular NHL campaign — albeit the longest road trip for most clubs usually hovers around 10-12 days.

The format involved in the NHL's approved "Return to Play" is a completely different animal — with teams in the midst of deep playoff runs expected to remain at said venues and under strict protocol for months, if necessary.

For younger players like Pastrnak, it's more of an unorthodox, extended road trip than anything else.

“For me, not as much,” Pastrnak said of how being under in a hub city 'bubble' would affect him. “I mean I don't have kids, you know? Pretty much I just have a girlfriend. I'm young. For me it's I don't have many superstitions on game day, so for me it's gonna be just like on the road. Obviously you're gonna be there for a while. So it's not going to change much for me. I'm just going to think about it like a road game."

But many other players across the league are not in the same boat as Pastrnak when it comes to the reality of potentially packing their bags and spending months on end away from their families.

Even though the NHLPA’s talks with the league have been more restrained and cordial than some other pro sports — baseball, namely — that doesn’t mean that all parties involved are out of the woods when it comes to enacting the framework “Return To Play” plan agreed to last month.



While the NHLPA Executive Board approved the 24-team postseason format — with a pair of neutral-site hub cities serving as the venues — they still need to vote to give the green light on both Phase 3 (full training camps) and Phase 4 (games resuming in hub cities). 

The expectation, especially with players already returning to their club cities to take part in voluntary workouts, is that Phase 3 likely won’t run into too much resistance. But, similar to some of the current reservations being raised by the NBPA, NHL players are likely going to want more details on what to expect in terms of life “in the bubble,” — as it seems like a given that players, coaches and staff are going to be cordoned off from the rest of the general population for however long they are in these hub cities.

But even with these perks, the top hurdle for players, especially those with families, lies in how they will be able to spend time with their loved ones under these strict protocols. 

While the NBA has reportedly been working on a plan to allow for a small group of family members to join players down in Orlando once the season resumes (after the first grouping of teams are eliminated) — such details haven’t been unveiled by the NHL, and likely won’t until we getting closer to the NHLPA’s vote to approve Phase 4. 

Minnesota Wild netminder Devan Dubnyk, speaking to The Athletic, noted back at the end of May that there were still plenty of hurdles that both the NHL and NHLPA need to clear before locking in dates and itineraries for clubs to head to their new game venues. 

"We voted strictly on the format," Dubnyk said of the NHLPA's approval of the Return To Play plan. "In other words, 'If we are to come back, this is how it's going to be played.' But we have not even touched on logistics or cities or travel or testing or how the economics will work or what this quarantine bubble (the players are) supposed to live in will be like or any of that stuff yet."

Dubnyk added: "How long are guys OK with being away for? When we are in this city, are we locked in our hotel room?" "Going from the hotel room to the rink and back only, are guys OK with just doing that? Can our families come with us, or if there's a family emergency and we leave the bubble (to go back into society), can we return to the bubble or are we done?

"What's the food situation? Like, can we only eat in our hotel rooms? How often are we tested? Who pays for that? What's the damage economically to the sport? All of these things - and there's so many variables - need to be talked about, and we've got to start getting a grasp on it now so that it doesn't just hit us in the face all of a sudden."

For Bruins defenseman John Moore, receiving clarity on the NHL's plan regarding families stands as a top priority over the coming weeks.

Moore has been sequestered in Massachusetts since the NHL season was officially put on hold over three months ago — with him and his wife, Elizabeth, staying busy by taking care of their young daughters, Milly and Lucy — the latter being born back in February 2019.

"Going around the block is a trip for us," Moore joked.

Hockey might be a business and players are going to have to make some concessions when it comes to approving Phase 4, but the topic of families and just how much access is granted could very well be a sticking point that could slow down what has been a stretch of smooth sailing for the NHL when it comes to collaboration with the PA.

From Moore's perspective, charting a course that allows players and families to remain together once games commence remains the ultimate goal. But if such scenario proves to be unfeasible, the B's blueliner still plans to make the trek to whatever rink awaits Boston as they look to compete for a Stanley Cup.

"It's something that's been talked about through the PA from various guys and it's a real concern for a lot of guys," Moore said. "You'd hate for something to happen and your family couldn't join you. Obviously, everyone's health and safety is the priority right now. And that's been said from everyone, whether that's through the league or the PA. But we hope, somehow, they could join us.

"But if not, this is a sacrifice that no one really saw coming and it's an opportunity to go compete for a Stanley Cup and you hope everything will be good at home and  God forbid something were to happen — but the Bruins have been unbelievable in terms of making sure that everyone, not just players, but families too, are well accounted for medically and you have full faith in them and the systems in place that, heaven forbid something did happen, that they would be taken care of."