In all honesty, it’s not an NHL thing. And the league is lifting restrictions faster than others. Baseball remains a post-game video call only, although players can be interviewed on the field during batting practice. The NFL is again keeping locker rooms closed this year, although in-person interviews are being conducted around practices and games in designated areas.
Fans often worry that the media shouldn’t be in the locker room, but it’s the best way to build relationships and provide information. Buffalo reporters just met Don Granato as head coach in person for the first time in recent days. And we never chatted in person with key names like Taylor Hall and Eric Staal. They were here and gone totally in the age of video calls.
This season, Dahlin is moving forward to become one of Buffalo’s locker room leaders.
It was a relief to learn that the Sabers are 100% vaccinated against Covid-19 and have no Cole Beasley-type vocal resistance. Vaccinations are not the problem in the NHL as they are in other sports, in part because players will receive a fixed salary if they are not vaccinated and unable to participate in games and practices.
Players who are vaccinated but face breakthrough cases are paid.
Another difference in the NHL is the constant travel to and from Canada. It seems inconceivable that an unvaccinated player could play for one of the seven teams north of the border. Tyler Bertuzzi’s problem in Detroit is quite risky, with the Red Wings star potentially losing $400,000 for games in Canada. This is a particular problem in the Atlantic Division with several games in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.
