Therien's Take: 3 Keys to Returning to Play

In a few days, May 12 to be specific, the NHL season pause will be at the two-month mark. That's two months off the ice entirely for the vast majority of players. There are, however, some reasons for cautious optimism.

As more communities and more states slowly begin to re-open, it gives us a chance to examine what will need to fall into place to pave the way for training camps and a return to play. Let's look at three specific areas that are vital to getting the 2019-20 season back on track so someone can hoist Lord Stanley's Cup.

1. Geographic location: Location location location, right? There are many teams located in states that are at least partially shuttered to what are deemed non-essential businesses and activities through the end of May or even into early June.

The Flyers are one of the affected organizations. The Skate Zone in Voorhees is not currently available due to the fact that New Jersey has been one of the nation's hardest-hit states during the pandemic. Meanwhile, Philadelphia is under stay-at-home status until at least June 4.

New York State, specifically the greater New York City area, is another one that's facing a very difficult time. It does not appear that practice facilities -- much less the game-night arenas -- are going to available in the near future.

So what does that mean? It means that the NHL is going to have to be creative in getting teams on a level playing field to hold training camps and then to finding locations the teams will be able to play in. By all accounts, it appears they're looking for for destinations.

The most plausible suggestions, in my view, are ones where there is one "home base" locale apiece for each of the four divisions. The NHL and NHLPA are also still trying to work out a playoff format that is both workable and fair to everyone involved.

2. The fans: It seems implausible at this point that fans will be allowed into any sporting events; not just for hockey but for any sport. The empty arena/stadium aspect is something that's pretty much universally accepted as a necessity for any sport's resumption for the current season. Will that stretch into next season? That remains to be seen.

A huge x-factor in all of this is when there will be a viable vaccine for Covid-19. That would be the point when society -- and sports -- gets back to what we always viewed as normal.

If there are four designated venues, it appears that players will have to learn how to get the adrenaline pumping without the usual atmosphere and energy created by the crowd. The daily routine will be a commute from a hotel to the rink and back. But will it be strict isolation for the players? Will they get opportunities to go home and be with their families? If so, how often?

3. Testing and quarantine policies: I am not going to wade into the debate over Covid-19 testing availability in various locales and how reliable the results of the various types of tests are. I will leave that discussion to our politicians, scientists, and doctors. I'm not an expert.

My concern is from a practical standpoint of finishing the hockey season. How often will players, coaches and team staff be tested? What happens if someone does test positive? In hockey, social distancing is impossible. Do you quarantine an entire team? If so, what happened to their scheduled games? Do you have to quarantine opposing teams, too?

I know these are issues the NHL and NHLPA are grappling with answering. What will the policies be? There cannot be any surprises. The worst scenario of all would be an attempt to return, following by another pause or cancelation.

Final thoughts: These are very, very trying times with lots of uncertainty about things we took for granted until just a few months ago. The presence of pro sports is just one of those things. Today is May 9. There's lot of discussion but not much actually happening yet.

Here's one thing you can count on: I will be back next week for a new edition of Therien's Take.