Here’s the silver lining as far as the protocol goes in the NHL

As you know, the league announced on Monday that the NHL will pause its season on Wednesday, two days before its planned Christmas break as teams try to weather several COVID-19 outbreaks. The NHL schedule is set to resume on Dec. 27.

The decision surprised many, but also put a major damper on the season with the fear that it could turn out like March 2020 when the season was immediately stopped and the playoffs took place in Canadian bubbles with severe restrictions.

It has been a challenging week for the NHL, as 11 teams suspended operations and the league postponed all games through Christmas that involved cross-border travel between Canada and the United States, but insider Frank Seravalli shared a silver lining to this whole mess on Tuesday night.

He explained how the silver lining for a team like the Calgary Flames is that once players test positive, they don’t have to be tested again for 90 days.

This could result in very few positive tests for Calgary once its season resumes.

The NHL reintroduced stricter protocols this week for players, including daily testing (instead of once every three days), social distancing measures and restrictions on where players can go when they are not at home, the hotel or the rink.

This is yet again a challenge for the NHL, players and their families, though we hope this can be a positive way of looking at it, but most importantly a way for fans to keep their cool on the league’s decisions.

Hoping everyone stays healthy!