Pucks and masks prevalent as 24 NHL teams open training camp
Calgary Flames’ players take to the ice during NHL hockey practice in Calgary, Alberta, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
Boston Bruins players scrimmage on a shortened playing area during NHL hockey camp, Monday, July 13, 2020, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy, right, instructs as Brad Marchand listens during NHL hockey camp, Monday, July 13, 2020, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Media get their temperature checked before covering the Edmonton Oilers NHL hockey training camp in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Arizona Coyotes players and coaches pause on the ice during NHL hockey practice at Gila River Arena Monday, July 13, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green diagrams a drill for players during an NHL hockey training camp in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Nashville Predators goaltenders Juuse Saros, left, and Pekka Rinne (35) touch gloves during their first day of NHL hockey training camp practice Monday, July 13, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. (George Walker IV/The Tennessean via AP)
Arizona Coyotes center Nick Schmaltz, front, scores a goal against Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper, back, during NHL hockey practice at Gila River Arena Monday, July 13, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Collition, skates during NHL hockey practice at Fifth Third Arena on Monday, July 13, 2020, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
Edmonton Oilers head coach Dave Dave Tippett watches from the stands during NHL hockey training camp in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers head coach Dave Tippett talks to players during NHL hockey training camp in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov, left, prepares for a shot by Islanders left wing and captain Anders Lee during an NHL hockey team practice, Monday, July 13, 2020, at the team’s practice facility in East Meadow, N.Y. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Chicago Blackhawks players skate during NHL hockey practice at Fifth Third Arena on Monday, July 13, 2020, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane, left, talks with goaltender Malcolm Subban, right, during NHL hockey practice at Fifth Third Arena on Monday, July 13, 2020, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
The bench is cleaned during a break in the Edmonton Oilers’ NHL hockey training camp in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers take to the ice as personnel wear masks during NHL hockey training camp in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Nashville Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm (14) and center Kyle Turris (8) touch gloves during NHL hockey training camp practice in Bridgestone Arena Monday, July 13, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. (George Walker IV/The Tennessean via AP)
Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Kyle Dubas watches as training camp opens in Toronto, on Monday, July 13, 2020, ahead of the resumption of the NHL season. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
A journalist has his temperature checked prior to entering Rogers Arena to attend the Vancouver Canucks NHL hockey training camp, in Vancouver, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
From left to right, Vancouver Canucks’ Jalen Chatfield, Bo Horvat and Troy Stecher stop to take drinks during an NHL hockey training camp in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Philadelphia Flyers players work out during training camp at the NHL hockey team’s practice facility, Monday, July 13, 2020, in Voorhees, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Media are isolated from Winnipeg Jets players during the first day of the Jets NHL summer training camp as the NHL reopens during COVID-19 in Winnipeg, Monday, July 13, 2020. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)
Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien, left, keeps an eye on practice as support staff wearing protective equipment look on as they hold their first NHL hockey practice in Brossard, Quebec, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP)
Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask waits as an assistant sets up the net for a drill during NHL hockey camp, Monday, July 13, 2020, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Calgary Flames’ players take to the ice during NHL hockey practice in Calgary, Alberta, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
Boston Bruins players scrimmage on a shortened playing area during NHL hockey camp, Monday, July 13, 2020, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy, right, instructs as Brad Marchand listens during NHL hockey camp, Monday, July 13, 2020, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Media get their temperature checked before covering the Edmonton Oilers NHL hockey training camp in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Arizona Coyotes players and coaches pause on the ice during NHL hockey practice at Gila River Arena Monday, July 13, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green diagrams a drill for players during an NHL hockey training camp in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Nashville Predators goaltenders Juuse Saros, left, and Pekka Rinne (35) touch gloves during their first day of NHL hockey training camp practice Monday, July 13, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. (George Walker IV/The Tennessean via AP)
Nashville Predators goaltenders Juuse Saros, left, and Pekka Rinne (35) touch gloves during their first day of NHL hockey training camp practice Monday, July 13, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. (George Walker IV/The Tennessean via AP)
Arizona Coyotes center Nick Schmaltz, front, scores a goal against Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper, back, during NHL hockey practice at Gila River Arena Monday, July 13, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Coyotes center Nick Schmaltz, front, scores a goal against Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper, back, during NHL hockey practice at Gila River Arena Monday, July 13, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Collition, skates during NHL hockey practice at Fifth Third Arena on Monday, July 13, 2020, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
Edmonton Oilers head coach Dave Dave Tippett watches from the stands during NHL hockey training camp in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers head coach Dave Tippett talks to players during NHL hockey training camp in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov, left, prepares for a shot by Islanders left wing and captain Anders Lee during an NHL hockey team practice, Monday, July 13, 2020, at the team’s practice facility in East Meadow, N.Y. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov, left, prepares for a shot by Islanders left wing and captain Anders Lee during an NHL hockey team practice, Monday, July 13, 2020, at the team’s practice facility in East Meadow, N.Y. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Chicago Blackhawks players skate during NHL hockey practice at Fifth Third Arena on Monday, July 13, 2020, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane, left, talks with goaltender Malcolm Subban, right, during NHL hockey practice at Fifth Third Arena on Monday, July 13, 2020, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
The bench is cleaned during a break in the Edmonton Oilers’ NHL hockey training camp in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers take to the ice as personnel wear masks during NHL hockey training camp in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Nashville Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm (14) and center Kyle Turris (8) touch gloves during NHL hockey training camp practice in Bridgestone Arena Monday, July 13, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. (George Walker IV/The Tennessean via AP)
Nashville Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm (14) and center Kyle Turris (8) touch gloves during NHL hockey training camp practice in Bridgestone Arena Monday, July 13, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. (George Walker IV/The Tennessean via AP)
Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Kyle Dubas watches as training camp opens in Toronto, on Monday, July 13, 2020, ahead of the resumption of the NHL season. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
A journalist has his temperature checked prior to entering Rogers Arena to attend the Vancouver Canucks NHL hockey training camp, in Vancouver, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
From left to right, Vancouver Canucks’ Jalen Chatfield, Bo Horvat and Troy Stecher stop to take drinks during an NHL hockey training camp in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
From left to right, Vancouver Canucks’ Jalen Chatfield, Bo Horvat and Troy Stecher stop to take drinks during an NHL hockey training camp in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Philadelphia Flyers players work out during training camp at the NHL hockey team’s practice facility, Monday, July 13, 2020, in Voorhees, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Media are isolated from Winnipeg Jets players during the first day of the Jets NHL summer training camp as the NHL reopens during COVID-19 in Winnipeg, Monday, July 13, 2020. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)
Media are isolated from Winnipeg Jets players during the first day of the Jets NHL summer training camp as the NHL reopens during COVID-19 in Winnipeg, Monday, July 13, 2020. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)
Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien, left, keeps an eye on practice as support staff wearing protective equipment look on as they hold their first NHL hockey practice in Brossard, Quebec, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP)
Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien, left, keeps an eye on practice as support staff wearing protective equipment look on as they hold their first NHL hockey practice in Brossard, Quebec, Monday, July 13, 2020. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP)
Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask waits as an assistant sets up the net for a drill during NHL hockey camp, Monday, July 13, 2020, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington is so accustomed to wearing a mask, he didn’t mind doing so for the past four months during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Sometimes, I forgot I’m wearing it while driving,” Binnington said Monday, when the Blues were among the NHL’s 24 teams to open training camp for the upcoming playoffs. “You make fun of those people who are driving by themselves with a mask on, but I sometimes forget.”
Goalies weren’t the only ones wearing masks as the NHL hit the ice, en masse, in the first full glimpse of hockey’s return since the regular season was placed on pause March 12.
Masked equipment managers patrolled the benches, clearing them of water bottles and towels following practices. In Nashville, general manager David Poile, 70, wore one while watching the Predators practice from a private suite.
And in Dallas, Stars interim coach Rick Bowness wore a mask while observing practice from an empty bench. At 65, he wasn’t taking any chances.
“I was going to err on the side of caution. I’m still very nervous about the COVID, and we haven’t tested our players since last Thursday,” Bowness said. Once results come back, he intends to return to the ice, perhaps as early as Wednesday
Players and staff all have their eyes on resuming the season with an expanded 24-team playoff set to begin in two hub cities - Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta, -- on Aug. 1.
“On the ice is normal,” Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin said. “On the ice is same rules what we have before. But soon as you step off the ice in the locker room, everybody have to wear a mask. It’s kind of weird, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to get used to it.”
Players and everyone else who will be spending up to two months inside the “bubble” — including hotel staff, bus drivers and arena workers — will have no other choice but to get accustomed to the new reality if the NHL hopes to complete its most unique season. Once games resume, they will be played in empty arenas, with as many as three games played per day at each site, and with the Stanley Cup awarded in late September at the earliest.
There is no guarantee the league will be able to pull it off.
Though the familiar sound of pucks, skates and sticks echoed through arenas once again, the reminders of COVID-19 were also prevalent.
The NHL announced that 43 players had tested positive for the coronavirus from June 8 through the end of the league’s optional workouts. In Toronto, star forward Auston Matthews confirmed he tested positive while spending the break at his home in Arizona last month.
“It was the safest place to be,. And then obviously things flipped pretty quickly there,” Matthews said. “I did my quarantine, and I’m feeling healthy now, so it’s all good.”
In Pittsburgh, the Penguins voluntarily sidelined nine players after learning they may have had secondary exposure to a person testing positive for COVID-19. NHL rules barred the Penguins from revealing who the players were, but the most notable player not on the ice was forward Patric Hornqvist.
Captain Sidney Crosby remained upbeat.
“It’s a matter of everyone working together and doing our best to be safe,” Crosby said. “Whether you are a player or a fan, you miss the game. You also have to understand the seriousness of what’s around you. We’re trying to find a balance for that... I’m optimistic.”
It was a far different story in Denver, where the Avalanche had nearly a fully complement of players practicing, which is a considerable turnaround. Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Nazem Kadri, Cale Makar and goalie Philipp Grubauer were among the formerly injured players back on the ice, with only center Colin Wilson deemed not fit to play.
“The fun thing about returning now, after having some time off and jumping right into the most important time of year, is that you’re going to see everyone’s best players healthy, rested,” coach Jared Bednar said. “We’re all anxious and champing at the bit ready to go, which should be a lot of fun.”
In St. Louis, the defending champion Blues welcomed back scoring star Vladimir Tarasenko, who sustained a major injury to his shoulder 10 games into the season and was projected to miss five months.
“It’s a nice little secret weapon we’ve had all year, waiting to come back,” defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said of Tarasenko. “Seemed like a pretty seamless transition, jumping back in with the rest of us.”
In Nashville, coach John Hynes drew out plays on a white board at the edge of the ice, with players gathered closely around him. Inside the arena, half the seats inside the lower bowl stayed stacked away, leaving concrete around much of the ice.
Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne said the unknowns and questions left him concerned during his return from his native Finland to the United States. Now, the 37-year-old goalie feels much more comfortable after seeing the protocols being used.
“We come to the Bridgestone Arena and you could eat off the floor,” Rinne said. “I mean, it’s clean. It’s a safe place so far.”
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AP Hockey Writers Stephen Whyno and Larry Lage, and AP Sports Writers Stephen Hawkins, Jay Cohen, Mitch Stacey and The Canadian Press contributed. Wawrow reported from Buffalo, N.Y., and Walker from Nashville, Tenn.
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