What’s life like in a bubble? Canes will soon find out in quest for Stanley Cup
Jordan Martinook, always the extrovert, always a man of the people, would never want to live life in a bubble.
But he’s about to.
The Carolina Hurricanes and the 23 other teams in the NHL’s Return to Play postseason format soon will be entering protective bubbles in the two hub cities -- the Eastern Conference teams in Toronto and the Western teams in Edmonton. That will be Phase 4 of the NHL plan and will be filled with coronavirus testing and hotel living, tight security and constant scrutiny while not on the ice at Scotiabank Arena playing games.
And boredom?
Martinook, in a Zoom media call Tuesday, said he isn’t sure how he will fill the down time but said he would take a Super Tock board game and find some teammates to play.
“I’m not sure I should be saying that,” the forward said, smiling. “We’ll just make sure we’re sitting six feet apart playing the game. Wash your hands, sanitize, all that stuff. Wear masks.
“Obviously life is going to be different in the bubble. Keep everybody happy, keep everybody sane and try and put everything you’ve got into it. ... It’s as good as you make it and we’re going to try and make it the best possible bubble we can.”
Team captain Jordan Staal will bring a golf simulator with him, according to teammate Haydn Fleury. Goalie James Reimer says he will have a flight simulator -- in theory, “fly” himself back to RDU Airport and the Triangle between games, if he wants.
Forward Warren Foegele said he’ll be taking his PlayStation to Toronto. Noting the players won’t be allowed to hang out in each other’s hotel room, Foegele said he might FaceTime Andrei Svechnikov to check out any new card tricks Svechnikov might have..
While many might expect Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour to say he’ll bring some weight-training equipment for his hotel room, he sounded like a man out of ideas for the bubble and was soliciting Netflix ideas Tuesday.
“That to me is a great big concern because we don’t want guys to get cabin fever or whatever it is when you’re stuck in your room,” Brind’Amour said on the media call. “They figured out we may have a pretty good area for all the guys to hang out. The coaches may have one of those.
“We’ll be working a lot, I know. A lot of video. All these games are going to be going on, all at different times of the day. I’m pretty sure we’ll be busy just watching games.”
And any free time?
“I’m sure we’ll punch in a few Netflix,” Brind’Amour said. “I need a new show. If you have a suggestion, throw one at me.”
Told to check out “Ozark,” Brind’Amour said, “Already seen that one.” OK, maybe “Mindhunter.”
If a team keeps winning, players and coaches will not be allowed to see their families in Toronto until the conference finals. Martinook, for example, left his wife and young son to return to Raleigh for the Phase 3 training camp. Once in Toronto, it could be another five or more weeks if the Canes keep advancing.
“Obviously you have your hard days,” Martinook said. “FaceTime is obviously a big thing. Just knowing I haven’t seen my wife and son for two weeks is definitely hard. Luckily we’ve got a good team that keeps doing things together to kind of keep your mind off it but it doesn’t make it any easier.
“It’s definitely hard and you think about it. I’m getting choked up just thinking about it. It is what it is.”
The NHL announced Monday that in the first five days of training camp (Phase3 ), there were 2,618 COVID-19 tests administered to more than 800 players. Just two players, neither identified, tested positive for the virus and were said to be self-isolating.
So far, so good. And there’s the belief among the players and coaches that once in the bubble, with all the precautions and testing, things should be safe and hopefully should go smoothly.
The Canes will continue to hold training camp this week at PNC Arena and leave Sunday for Toronto. Their best-of-five qualifying round series against the New York Rangers begins Aug 1.
“We’re still keeping our fingers crossed this week,” Brind’Amour said. “Obviously we need to get through it.”
Martinook said he recently read a quote from baseball’s Bryce Harper about the competition “being about who can adapt the quickest.” The same, he said, will be true for the Canes and the NHL teams in the bubble.
It won’t be easy. It could be for a long time. It’s for the Stanley Cup.
“You don’t get a chance to win a Stanley Cup every year,” Martinook said. “If you have a chance to go for it and this is the sacrifice you have to make, then so be it.”
CANES-RANGERS QUALIFYING ROUND
(best of five)
Game One: Saturday, Aug. 1, 12 p.m.
Game Two: Monday, Aug. 3, 12 p.m.
Game Three: Tuesday, Aug. 4, 8 p.m.
*Game 4: Thursday, Aug. 6, TBD
*Game 5: Saturday, Aug. 8, TBD
* -- If necessary
This story was originally published July 21, 2020 at 3:51 PM.
