The Toronto Maple Leafs should be roughly 15 or so games into the 2020-21 season.
Unfortunately, due to a worldwide pandemic, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the rest of the NHL are yet to play, and no one knows when the NHL will resume.
The fair and democratic election of Joe Biden will help, if for no other reason than he has publicly said that he believes in science, something we can sadly no longer take for granted in our leaders. However, as long as the absolutely disgusting display of cowardice and incompetence going on to try and stop the transition of power continues, the odds of their being a hockey season go down (Which, is obviously a small concern in the big picture, but it is why we’re here).
The fact is that the current U.S administration has been among the worst in the world at handling Covid and this directly impacts the NHL.
The NHL did a great job during the summer with their bubble, but the situation is exponentially worse and more dangerous now. With the current failed administration refusing to cede power, despite an objective lack of evidence to support their ludicrous claims, the odds of the NHL even having a season get lower by the day.
No matter what your political views happen to be, the people who believe in and follow medical science are clearly going to be superior to handling the situation than those who don’t. It is really that simple.
The NHL’s Plan
On Thursday Gary Bettman said this to the media:
"The NHL is exploring short-term hubs, temporary realignment and a reduced schedule as options for the 2020-21 season amid the coronavirus pandemic, Commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday. (nhl.com)."
Bettman outlined a plan to have teams play a series of games over about two weeks, and then return home to be with their families. In theory this sounds good, but given the direction things are heading (again, due to staggering incompetence and a failure to heed advice of medical professionals) it seems like a pipe dream.
The bubble worked because it was a bubble. Half measures are going to put a lot of people at risk. The NHL may want to start on January first, but unless drastic changes in protocol take place at the federal level of the United States, that seems overly optimistic.
A week ago I thought Biden’s election was great news for the the NHL. I did not, however, expect so many people to act like very small children denied a cookie, and put the entire world at risk to do it.
Look, I don’t want to use this space to talk politics, at all. I realize that almost all of us live in bubbles where we get only the information we want to get. But people who think differently from you aren’t monsters and they aren’t bad people, it is just that constant digital reinforcement of their opinions makes some of them not only believe the propaganda, but that anyone who tries to dissuade them of it is part of some larger conspiracy.
It is unfortunate, but we can’t let it control us. If we want there to be hockey, we have to acknowledge that the one thing putting it at risk is people in power not listening to medical experts. I never thought I’d have to say this, but belief in democracy and medical science are prerequisites for the NHL season starting. At this point I don’t see how the NHL can safely operate by Janurary unless a drastic change occurs in the fight against Covid.
On the bright side, I am no longer accepting the Toronto Maple Leafs loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets this past August.