ICE, ICE, BABY

Seventy-seven days have passed.
Thirty-six - at least - remain before the range is go for launch.
That's longer than your typical off-season.
And for those around Calgary and across North America, a lack of ice, along with the closure of local facilities, have made training for hockey's elite athletes a delicate venture.

"Personally, I've been trying to stay in as good a shape as possible," said Flames captain Mark Giordano. "For me being a little bit older, it's more about my speed and my cardio, so I've been focusing heavily on that. I've been able to get out on the rollerblades a little bit, go for some runs, and I've got a few machines here at the house.
"I've been able to keep up with my strength as well, with some of the upper-body workouts I've been doing. I don't have much, but exercises that focus on using your body weight and some work with the kettlebells I have has really helped me out.
"I've got a pretty good setup that's allowed me to be feeling as good as I am right now."
With the NHL's return-to-play plan getting the green light Tuesday, some critical time-frames are now slowly rising to prominence.
While precise dates are currently in flux, and largely depend on the science around the coronavirus pandemic, players now have a rough guideline when the league hopes to resume.
Phase 2 (of 4) begins "early" next month, and includes the opening of practice rinks and allows for small, voluntary group workouts on and off the ice in club facilities. Among the details released in the NHL's 21-page memo is a strict set of rules to preserve the health and safety of everyone involved. On-ice sessions will be non-contact and involve up to six players, who will be expected to maintain physical distancing at all times. Players will also be required to wear masks when entering and exiting facilities, and when they're not able to properly distance in common areas.

Again, this portion of the plan is completely voluntary, and considering returning travellers are required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Canada, this could pose a challenge for Flames players abroad wishing to skate in Calgary in the near future.
Giordano, though, is a local and can't wait to shred up the ice at the Scotiabank Saddledome as soon as he's able.
"Our equipment guys, Depo (Mark DePasquale), Ozzie (Corey Osmak) and Benny (Dumaine), those guys have been awesome," the skipper said. "They shipped us our own skates a while back with the Marsblades on them. So, it's pretty cool to be ripping it up outside in your real skate boot. It's pretty similar to feel you get on the ice. It's different, obviously, but about as close as you can get.
"Besides that, I've done some shooting, some stick-handling.
"But yeah, it's nice that the weather's great now and all that, but I'd say I'm ready to get back on the ice."
The NHL has announced that following Phase 2, formal training camps will follow in each of the clubs' home cities no earlier than July 1, and last for two to three weeks. The resumption of the season - which, for the Flames, means a best-of-five qualifying-round series with the Winnipeg Jets - will take place at some point thereafter.
Likely, in late July.
So, while Tuesday's announcement brought some much-needed hope and optimism to the global sporting landscape, it will still be a while yet before the puck drops in game action.
At best, we're talking a four- or five-month break.
How quickly players are able to shake the summer rust, re-light the engines, and throttle back up to speed is the million-dollar question.
Those that do it quickly will make somewhat of a statement.
Those that don't will say sayonara.
"I can speak for our team, and guys have been staying in good shape at home," Giordano said. "I will say, that getting on the ice is the most important thing for a hockey player. We use a lot of different muscles and you need to engage those stabilizers. So, it's really important to get back on the ice and that's why I think Phase 2 is important to allow guys to work out in small groups and get back on the ice, to build up towards training camp.
"It's a long break, there's no doubt about that. Most guys don't go this long without being on skates in some form, so we definitely need a couple of weeks.
"If you're on the ice every day for two weeks, it comes back pretty quick."