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Toronto Maple Leafs: Should the NHL Take A Recess?

By Stephen Nixon

Apr 15, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Large flags are carries by the fans during the anthem of game three of the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 15, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Large flags are carries by the fans during the anthem of game three of the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Games are getting cancelled, teams are playing in front of zero fans and Covid numbers are rising every day, so should the NHL put a pause on the season?

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been one of the lucky teams this year. Not only have they seen limited injuries on the ice, but off the ice, they haven’t had a positive COVID case. Based on the law of averages, they’re bound to get one soon if they continue to travel around the league.

The last thing I want to see is the NHL stopping play. This has been one of the best Leafs seasons in recent history and watching this team every night has been a lot of fun. But, at the end of the day, they need to do what’s right for the players, staff and fans.

Going to a Toronto Maple Leafs game is supposed to be the highlight of the year. When you walk into the arena, you instantly feel happy and have no worries about spending $20 on a beer. The pizza even tastes better inside the rink, for whatever reason.

But ever since the pandemic has started and cases have started to climb again, it hasn’t been the same experience. It’s great to be in there and watch the game, but you’re always a little worried about who you’re sitting beside because the majority of fans aren’t wearing masks.

It used to be a joy to high-five the person beside you and hug some random stranger when the Leafs scored a big goal, but now, that’s something we shouldn’t be doing.

It’s a sad time to be a fan and if we can’t do it the right way, the NHL should pause the season.

NHL Should Give Extended Holiday Break

I know it’s extremely difficult to move things around and stop the season when games are scheduled, fans have paid money for seats, etc., but they need to stop it before teams have to forfeit games.

The NHL has already given themselves a two-week window for the Olympics to shutdown, so instead of activating that during that time, they should do it now. The virus is spreading too rapidly and too many people are going to get affected as a result of it.

I’m not saying the virus is going to stop if the NHL takes a two-week break, but it would be better for the sport if they allowed themselves that time to see how things go and make sure that NHL players can be with their families for the holiday, instead of stuck in a hotel room quarantining.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are on the verge of their best season in 20 years and it’s starting to feel like it could turn into the lost season of the 1994 Montreal Expos, when they were the World Series favorites, but a strike stopped them from succeeding.

We can’t allow the Leafs to be the next Expos “what-if” story and it would be in the best interest of everyone to take a break, instead of seeing 10 players on each team test positive and/or games getting shutdown.

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Wake up, NHL. Make the right decision now.

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