In his first media interview since the Board of Governors meetings earlier this month, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly spoke with The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun on Thursday on the decision not to send NHL players to the Olympics, preparation for Saturday's Winter Classic and whether or not a full 82-game NHL season is feasible given the recent postponements due to COVID-19.
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"A larger and larger percentage of our player population has been affected by COVID this season and that number continues to grow every day," said Daly. "Really by sheer numbers, if you accept the fact that once you’re hit by COVID you’re not going to get hit again this year, then I don’t foresee an issue in finishing the season."
In terms of the Winter Classic going ahead as planned on Jan. 1, Daly said everything is going "very, very smoothly. No hiccups," and addressed the expected freezing temperatures.
"Obviously we know how to put on these games, we know how to make the ice, we know how to account for the weather conditions from a technical standpoint. Obviously I understand it’s going to be cold in Minnesota; maybe the coldest we’ve encountered yet for an outdoor game," Daly said. "I’m less worried about the players in those types of conditions because the bench areas are heated and the nature of our game is that you’re taking short shifts and exerting yourself and when you come back to the bench you’re in a warm environment. I’m really less worried about the exposure of the players, I’m worried more about the spectators. But I was just assured there’s a lot of indoor space where they can seek shelter from the elements if there’s a need to. And we have extra measures in place to make sure we’re keeping everyone as warm and protected from the elements as possible."
With capacity restrictions continuing in arenas across Canada due to rising COVID-19 cases, Daly also addressed whether or not he anticipates further postponements for home games in Canadian cities.
"We're going to try and be as cooperative and flexible as we possibly can be. But as I said with respect to other elements of the schedule, there’s only so much we can do. I don’t think we can fully compensate for the problem," Daly said. "If in fact these attendance restrictions carry on for multiple weeks, there’s no way we can make up all those games or move or shift all those games. Like everything else, it’ll be a balancing act."
For more, here is the full interview.
(Photo: Mike Stobe / NHLI via Getty Images)