Phase 3, Day 1: Shea Weber and Paul Byron Media Op

MONTREAL - Habs captain Shea Weber and assistant captain Paul Byron met the media virtually on Monday afternoon to discuss how players are adjusting to Phase 3 rules, what their expectations are for camp, and more.

Some questions and answers have been translated or edited for clarity.

Question from Dan Robertson, TSN 690

Shea, I don't know if you can compare this to the first day of training camp in September, but was there something extra special about getting on the ice in the conditions we're in, just to get back to some normalcy for a change?

SHEA WEBER:Yeah, I think you're right. This might even be a little more unique in a different way, because I haven't seen a lot of these guys -- I think two-thirds of these guys I haven't seen for four months. Today was the first day I got to see them. It's good to get back out there on the ice and do what we love and share a goal here in the next few weeks of getting ready and enjoying some playoff hockey.

Question from Eric Engels, Sportsnet

What was the most unique part of being on the ice today with all of your teammates?

PAUL BYRON: Just being on the ice with your teammates, I guess. For a lot of us, we've been in small groups for a long time. I've probably been in isolation at home with my family or in small groups of four or five for a few months now, so to be in a group of 30-40 people is pretty fun. It's a weird atmosphere with all the rules and regulations and masks, but that's to keep us all safe. At the same time, it was a lot of fun to get on the ice, skate again, see the teammates, and play hockey. It was weird but I enjoyed it.

Shea, you called this "unique" and "different." Did it feel normal?

SW:I think as far as getting on the ice and practicing, yeah, that felt normal, but I don't think any of the rest feels normal. Obviously, that's all preventative measures and safety protocols and just kind of what we have to deal with in the situation and what we're going through in the world today.

Question from Jean-Francois Chabot, Radio-Canada

Paul, was there a moment over the last weeks where you asked yourself the question, "Are we really going to do this?" Did you ever doubt that hockey would be coming back?

PB:Honestly, I thought about it every day, whether it would work or not. There are a lot of things that happen off the ice that we don't have control over. When we're here, there are a lot of rules and it's very strict and that's to keep us healthy. But when you leave the rink, that changes. People want to go grab something at IGA or go for dinner, but it's up to us to be responsible to make sure we're staying healthy for everyone. Every day I think about the teams in the US, what are they doing? But that's not something I can control. I have to just try to do my best here in Montreal to focus on the team here, and we'll see what happens. I'm confident we're going in the right direction.

Question from Guillaume Lefrancois, La Presse

Shea, I was just wondering, how much trust does it take between teammates in order to keep this bubble as tight as it is, because looking at what we see on the ice, it's sort of impossible to remain six feet apart, so what's that trust level between players and what they do off the ice?

SW:Yeah, there's a huge trust factor. We kind of spoke about that this morning when we all came in here. We have to rely on one another right now. Obviously, we're not in the bubble yet; guys have the ability to make their own decisions. But their decisions affect each and every one of us. It's a crucial time for everyone to pay attention and make sure we're taking care of each other. Like you said, once we get on the ice and the battles start, there's no six feet barrier out there. It's tough to separate. So, I think it's a very important time for everyone on the team to look at the guy next to him and make sure they're thinking about them, and not just themselves.

Paul, you said earlier that for the last few weeks, you've been isolating at home with your family or in small groups on the ice. Has it been strange at all now to find yourself face-to-face, 30 centimeters away from your teammates after the last few months where that wasn't really the case?

PB:Yeah, it's weird. There are a lot of rules and here in Quebec, people need to be wearing masks out in public, but then here we are on the ice, like nothing has changed for us. It's really the responsibility of each guy to make sure they're staying healthy and making good decisions. It's a little strange, but as hockey players, it's comfortable for us. It's normal. We trust each other to do the right things.

Video: Follow Paul Byron on Day 1 of Phase 2 in Brossard

Question from Arpon Basu, The Athletic

Paul, I would ask you to put on your NHLPA rep hat for now. Could you characterize how -- without getting into specifics -- what were some of the concerns that were discussed on the team heading into the vote and what were some of your personal things you wanted to see addressed? How would you characterize the whole process of getting the agreement, discussing it as a team, and then ultimately voting on it?

PB:The process itself was quite challenging. We spent many, many hours on the phone talking through team calls. I think we were one of the few teams that on each call from mid-May, we were 15 or 16 guys on every single call. We had enormous participation from everybody, which was important for our group. A lot of guys care. This is our careers, and this is our lives, and those little rules changes are very important to us. Forget about the CBA stuff for a second, I think our team had a lot of health concerns that we voiced our opinions on. The NHLPA took to heart what we said, and I think it was important that they heard our voice. I think most of the guys on our team are happy with the deal, and it's certainly a bit better than what we had before. It's not a perfect deal by any means, but considering where the world's at right now and the economy, people losing jobs, people taking pay cuts, we're all pretty happy to be where we are and to be playing hockey for a living. I think we're tremendously fortunate for that opportunity and I think we're all pretty thankful for that. To be able to put on our jersey and play hockey and make people happy, it's a good feeling.

Shea, I'm assuming your family is back in British Columbia?

SW:Yeah.

How did you kind of rectify that decision in your mind? Was it difficult for you to come here and do this and accept that you might not see them for a good amount of time? How was that process for you?

SW:It's difficult. This first couple of weeks has been the most difficult because I've been with them consistently for the last couple of months since we've been done. It's been tough, but thank goodness for technology and FaceTime and videos like that. I can still see them. But this is an opportunity that we have to take advantage of. I mean, technically, you don't have to - you've got the opportunity to opt out if you want. But I felt like, given the circumstances where we technically weren't in the playoffs, we weren't officially eliminated, but this is kind of like a second chance for us. Playing in the League for 14, 15 years now, you learn that you don't take these opportunities for granted. They don't always come. We've still got to get in. We've got a tough road ahead of us and it's a long road, but it's an opportunity that we likely wouldn't have had three months ago.

Jean-Francois Chaumont, Le Journal de Montreal

Shea, you already said to Guillaume that as a player, you'll need to trust your teammates. For the next two weeks, you'll all be staying in Montreal or Brossard. As the captain, are you asking your teammates to not go to bars, or to try to avoid restaurants and stay at home as much as possible?

SW:Yeah, I think that's kind of the common sense answer. It's kind of expected here. We know what happened in the past couple of weeks here with a couple of little outbreaks here and there at establishments or bars. It's going to be hard. It's not going to be easy, and that's where you talk about it not being normal. It's not a normal life at this point. It's not really normal for anyone here. So there's a little bit of sacrifice, but it's sacrifice for everybody. Guys have families, guys have health conditions. You've got to look after one another because if you're not, it's just selfish. Everyone as far as I can see is going to look beside them and take care of their teammate and do as best they can to be ready for camp and through camp to the play-ins to take care of themselves and everyone else.