The New York Rangers organization has been saluting the many first responders that have been helping fellow New Yorkers throughout this horrific ordeal. They organized the interview to talk about how each of them has dealt with dealing with the virus.
A few of the players surprised four nurses during a virtual interview to tell them how much they appreciate all they have done to help patients during this tough time.
"Someday soon, when we're the ones in uniform, we can't wait to meet you and thank you in person."
Here's what transpired when three Rangers surprised four frontline nurses by crashing their videoconference. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/qFHVnzLcJY
The Nurses were told they were going to do an interview discussing their time dealing with the global pandemic. Coincidently they all happen to be New York Rangers fans so it was no surprise that the conversation turned to the Blueshirts with stories of their memories of great times watching the team play in happier times.
That’s when the nurses received a surprise they so richly deserved. Ryan Strome, Chris Kreider, and Marc Staal crashed the virtual interview to the surprise of the nurses.
Each of the players spoke to the nurses praising all they have done to help people battling with this silent killer.
Ryan Strome might have said it best, telling the nurses “a lot of us feel really hopeless a times because you can’t really do anything about it, but you guys are able to do that, and not just for us, I think everyone is very appreciative,” as was told to Pat Pickens of NHL.com
Strome, speaking for al three players, then invited the nurses to a Rangers game at the Garden once things get back to normal.
Pretty amazing what a simple video conversation can do to raise morale for both the players and the nurses.
It was just a few months ago that the New York Rangers held their annual trip that saw Ryan Strome’s mother become somewhat of a media sensation when she read the lineups to the Rangers before their victory against the Chicago Blackhawks. She reprised that role in their next road contest against Carolina, despite her son jokingly saying that experience “aged him five, maybe ten years”, which again resulted in a Rangers victory. These were just the first two of what turned out to be five straight victories, cementing the legend of Trish Strome.
Mrs. Strome featured on the NHL networks #HockeyatHome show
Trish Strome is not only the mother of the Ranger’s Ryan Strome, but she is also the proud mom of current Chicago Blackhawk Dylan and Philadelphia Flyers prospect Matthew, so it made perfect sense to feature her on the NHL Hockey Moms segment of the show.
A big part of the segment had to do with the famous reading of the lineup, something that caught Ryan off guard. “I didn’t know they were going to do that, so it really caught me off guard” Ryan explained and also added that “it was quite something and the Internet caught it and it blew up quite a bit”
Even though she may have looked calm and collective during the lineup announcement, Trish Stomme did not have a lot of time to prepare. So her well-quoted lines like “Move..him..the..puck…”, and “I just like saying Shesterkin” was very much improvised. “The gave like 5 minutes notice” she explained, “so I didn’t have a lot of time to be nervous.”
The interview was conducted by Kathyrn Tappan of NBC Sports, who asked Mrs. Strome about what she thought about having the boys home due to the coronavirus pandemic’s and the NHL’s stay-at-home restriction: “I love having them around” but added, “I do miss the hockey.”
The entire segment also features interviews with Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes and New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes with their mom, Ellen; and emergency backup goalie David Ayres with his mom, Mary. The episode can be found on the NHL’s digital platforms and will air on NBCSN on Wednesday, May 13, at 5 p.m., as well as on the NHL Network on Thursday, May 14, at 9:30 p.m. ET.
As players and fans of the New York Rangers sit and wait to see when the NHL and other sports leagues may resume, recent news from many sources has indicated that the NHL is strongly considering going right into a 24 team playoff that would include the Rangers.
NHL Board of Governors/Return to Play Committee seems to favor heading straight to the playoffs
One of the concerns that the NHL and the players association may have been discussing was the necessity of bringing team officials and players back to play who had no chance of making the playoffs. Then after phone conferences with the board of governors on Monday, and the Return to Play committee on Wednesday, the concept of going straight to the playoffs appears to be picking up steam.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN explained the process this way: “On Wednesday, I’m told that 16, 20 and 24 were again talked about as options. But of those three from talking to people around the league both on the team side and also on the players’ side, 24 teams seems to be gathering a bit of traction, with the idea of a playoff format with 24 teams.”
Darren Dreger, also of TSN explained the rationale for wanting to go to this kind of finish for the season. “you could easily adopt a play-in format that trims 24 down to the traditional 16 playoff teams. And by doing that you don’t have regular-season games. You have three to six play-in games, which means you can get through the process more quickly. The reason behind that would be the preparation for the second wave of COVID-19.”
Trying to finish the regular season means that the NHL would have to start up sooner, rather than later and that leads into complications. There are international travel and US-Canada border-crossing restrictions in place that would appear to be obstacles to a quick reopening. Recently, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that any player crossing the border to enter Canada would have to follow their 14-day quarantine rule. There are at least two cities in Canada being considered as “hubs” for a return to play
It’s going to cost lots of money to restart the season regardless of how it’s done. Considering fans will not be able to attend games and therefore no revenue from ticket sales, many are questioning if it is even worth it for the league to proceed with the 2019-20 season? Considering that there is up to $150 million at stake in television revenue if the remainder of the regular season is wiped out, the NHL will have to total up the costs of restarting to see if it is feasible to reopen.
The New York Islanders won’t be a half-a-century old for antother few years, but it doesn’t mean we can’t start thinking about how they should celebrate that anniversary campaign.
By that time, the franchise will be in its second season in their new home at Belmont Park. And maybe Mathew Barzal is starting to get his names in the ranks of the greatest players of all time to ever wear an Islander uniform.
The latter is more of a dream. Then again, it would be interesting to see what Barzal would look like wearing the classic look from the Isles’ dynasty years where they ruled the league and won four straight Stanley Cups and dominating. Or maybe picture him in the Halloween-orange jerseys the team wore from 2003 to 2006. The Reebok Edge threads the team donned during most of their rebuild at the end of the 2000s and into the early 2010s.
NHL teams always go big when they reach anniversary years. Just go back and look at the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs and how they celebrated their 100th year in the league. Even this past season the Vancouver Canucks executed bringing back their retro looks to celebrate while also evolving their current getups.
Like those select clubs, and many others who have celebrated anniversary seasons, the Isles also have a ton of uniforms to choose from to pay homage to their history.
And here’s five of them that should be brought back when that season gets underway:
5. The Navy Blues (1999-2007)
After the franchise finally rid itself of the heinous fisherman logo and the wave jerseys with the original logo, they moved back to a more traditional look. For eight seasons, this set was fantastic and paid homage to the dynasty teams of yesteryear with the four-strip patch on the right shoulder. Sleek. Clean. Unflashy. The Isles organization had a rebirth in the years they donned this outfit, making the postseason four times.
4. The Road White Reebok Edge (2007-2010)
Following the Islanders’ last playoff appearance in ’06-’07, it felt like it was time for a change both on and off the ice. That meant the uniforms. And with Reebok now taking over as the official provider for the NHL, they brought in a whole new look for many NHL teams. One was the Isles, and low and behold, we got this underrated ensemble. These jerseys don’t get the respect they deserve, but they were a fan favorite of many who bought them. Yes, there were some lean years in these jerseys for many. But they were the first to be worn by the new wave of talent the organization was beginning to assemble.
3. The Post-Dynasty Blues (1984-1995)
Regarded by many as the greatest look the franchise has ever worn, these jerseys were just aesthetically beautiful in every single fashion. From the striping, to the logo, to the socks, everything just clicked with these duds. The Isles also continued to have good success in wearing these threads, making the playoffs seven out of 11 years. Lets not also forget the number of memorable moments that occurred while this was the team’s look. Can anyone say Easter Epic or David Volek?
2) Orange Crush (2002-2007)
The Islanders had never had a third jersey in the history of the franchise up until 2002. Then out of nowhere, in November they debuted these bad boys (I know because I was there that night and my Dad bought me a Michael Peca one after the game). Some will still say it was a knock off of the Dallas Stars uniform set from back then, but they were still one of the coolest and most unique jerseys the team ever produced. Even to this day, walk around Nassau Coliseum at any time before or during a game, and you’ll find at least two or three fans rocking these sweaters.
1) The OG’s (1972-73)
The first uniform debuted in the inaugural season of the franchise. These magnificent threads from top to bottom made the Islanders look like a major league organization, despite being an embarrassment on the ice. The orange numbers just pop from the moment you first lay eyes on them. These jerseys laid the foundation for the dynasty to come several years later. The organization has brought this look back only twice since they stopped wearing it after that first year — Retro Night in 2007 and the final regular-season game at the Coliseum (before they moved back last season) in April 2015. Celebrating 50 years since the franchise was born, this would be the perfect blend of nostalgia and allow a new generation of Islander fans to relive a bit of a missing piece of the team’s fabled history.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert and White House coronavirus taskforce member, expressed caution in a return to sports recently in an interview. He’s been a crucial figure in the COVID-19 situation over the last 60 days and says some sports may not be able to return until 2021.
“Safety, for the players and for the fans, trumps everything,” said Fauci in an interview with the New York Times. “If you can’t guarantee safety, then, unfortunately, you’re going to have to bite the bullet and say, ‘We may have to go without this sport for this season.'”
In previous interviews, the 79-year-old has said that he thinks sports can come back with several precautions. One of those sports he has said is baseball, stating he’s a big Washington Nationals fan.
Right now, NASCAR has a set return date in May, and the PGA has set dates to play in June. The MLB is working on a plan to begin the regular season in home stadiums by the end of June. The NBA and NHL are working on scenarios to play the remainder of their regular season and playoffs, while the NFL is working on possible scheduling alternatives. The WNBA has postponed the start of its season.
“I would love to be able to have all sports back,” said Fauci. “But as a health official and a physician and a scientist, I have to say, right now, when you look at the country, we’re not ready for that yet.”
Each day, the situation is improving, and more states are beginning to ease stay-at-home restrictions. Sports would obviously be great to have back and a good distraction, as long as all participating bodies are as safe as possible.
New York Ranger fans and hockey fans around the world received some positive news on Wednesday when reports surfaced that the NHL was looking toward a resumption of play. One of the scenarios being looked at is having an NHL team and city “host” games for multiple teams, similar to having a basketball regional like in the NCAA basketball tournament. Hopeful as this is, the NHL faces some hurdles in implementing this plan or any other during the summer months.
Ice Conditions may be problematic for the New York Rangers and other NHL players
As we detailed in an article back in March, maintaining proper ice conditions during summer months for most locations in the NHL will be very difficult. As far as the ice conditions, the NHL recommendation is for ambient air to be between 60 and 64 degrees at 40 to 44 percent humidity. Rink experts agree that it is possible for every NHL team to maintain suitable ice conditions in those warmer months. This will be an expensive venture, both in manpower and in air conditioning and maintenance costs. The experts feel that that the most important factor would be the diligence of the team ice crews, who will have to work harder and smarter than they ever have to make sure the ice surface is playable for games during the hottest days of the year. This is in part why Edmonton is being considered as a site due to it’s relatively lower warmer summer temperatures and humidity.
Can New York Rangers and other players be allowed to return on their Visas?
Two legal issues that must be addressed are player contracts and visa issues with players from other countries. Work Visa’s have specific dates which probably do not include the summer months. Also, player contracts expire on June 30. This may be an easier issue to deal with as contracts would need to be amended to allow for an extended league year through the summer. Experts feel that could be an even more difficult hurdle as compared to contract terms, which can likely be handled internally through the league and players’ association. However, it is widely thought that both the United States and Canadian government would be more than happy to help out with this issue, especially since it has been reported that if the league does not resume the 2019-20 season in a summer session, they will be facing losses of up to $1 billion.
In an interview with Peter Hanby of Snapchat, the nation’s top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested a summer return for major sports. But, the return would have some restrictions.
“Nobody comes to the stadium. Put [the players] in big hotels, wherever you want to play, keep them very well surveilled,” said Fauci. “Have them tested every single week and make sure they don’t wind up infecting each other or their family and just let them play the season out.”
There have been similar proposals, such as the MLB’s to play in Florida and Arizona, as well as the NBA’s proposal to play the remainder of the season and the postseason in Las Vegas. From what Fauci said, it seems as if players would get some access to their families as long as players stay relatively isolated.
Right now, the PGA Tour is the first sport to have a return set. They will return to the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 11th. Racing events such as NASCAR may end up returning around the same time.
President Donald Trump has set up a committee focused on reopening the economy when safe. Most league commissioners will be giving input, as well as Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
“I’m absolutely looking forward to trying to help,” said Cuban, also seen on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’.
The committee is rumored to begin preliminary meetings on Wednesday and will continue to have frequent meetings until further notice.
It’s great that sports are nearing a safe return, and that Dr. Fauci is in agreement.
“I’m living in Washington, we have the world champion Washington Nationals,” said Fauci. “I want to see them play again.”
Believe it or not, sports could be closer to returning than you think.
Yesterday, Dr. Fauci delivered good news, saying that he believes that the coronavirus outbreak is slowing. He stated that by May, the economy should slowly be able to get going again, and social distancing restrictions could be relaxed to an extent.
In the sports world, this is fantastic news. Though it’s doubtful that it will be in front of fans, sports may be able to get going in May when the curve is even flatter. President Donald Trump and league commissioners agreed that games beginning again is a focus in restarting the economy. Trump and the commissioners were all on a conference call last weekend.
Right now, the MLB is trying to figure how the entirety of the season will be played, while the NBA and NHL are preparing for the playoffs. All games across the leagues may be played in only a few cities or states, for the safety of the players. Doing that would reduce travel risks.
What we may end up seeing before those core leagues return is a return to golf and racing. Both of those are non-contact sports that don’t need weeks of training before a season resumes. Most golfers have been practicing on their own, while drivers have been racing in simulators to stay sharp.
The core leagues are working with health officials to come up with realistic timelines and ideas to keep everyone safe while still providing entertainment and contributing to an economy that needs serious help right now.
I think that in a month from now, leagues will have definite plans to start up again, and we could see games and events soon after. At least for right now, we have the MLB The Show players league, NBA H-O-R-S-E competitions, and the NFL draft to look forward to.
Stay safe, and be patient. Sports will be back before we know it!
Recently, Seton Hall University conducted a poll about how fans felt about attending sporting events after the COVID-19 outbreak.
The survey showed that 72% of fans would not attend games until after a vaccine is developed for coronavirus. 12% of those surveyed said that they would feel safe attending events with proper social distancing, and 13% said that they would feel just as safe as before the outbreak.
76% of fans surveyed said that they would watch games on television with no fans in the stands, and would still be interested. Unfortunately for NFL fans, 70% of those surveyed believe that the season should not start as planned.
76% of fans also think that leagues shut down at the right time, and 84% thought that the IOC made the right decision about this year’s Olympics in Japan.
This survey was completed by 762 Americans and has a margin of error of +/-3.6 percent.
While a lot of results are disappointing, they aren’t unexpected. With a disease so contagious, it’s hard to see how stadiums and arenas could be packed with thousands of fans, shoulder-to-shoulder. I believe that once coronavirus peaks, we can start to consider leagues restarting again but with restrictions. If it’s safe enough, I think that you could end up seeing a limited attendance. If it’s not quite as safe as we hope, we likely see no attendance.
But, I do think it will eventually be safe enough to play games again this year. Vaccines and therapy methods are being worked on, and people are continuing to social distance. It’s just a matter of whether we can attend or not.
Today, Adam Schefter (ESPN) reported that President Donald Trump was on a conference call with commissioners and top executives of major United States professional sports. The call included NFL commissioner Roger Goddell, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, and others representing leagues such as the PGA Tour, NHL, WNBA, etc.
On the call, Trump said that he hopes that fans will be able to attend events again by August or September. He also said that he believes that the NFL will be ready to start on time with no restrictions.
While it wasn’t unexpected, this is a massive blow for major sports. The news pushes the start of the MLB and WNBA seasons way back, halts all PGA and LPGA Tour events for a long time, as well as racing events. For the NBA and the NHL, this makes it less likely that the season will be finished.
It will probably be safe enough for teams to start playing each other before then, but it may only be a few weeks before. If it is as late as July or August, I have a hard time seeing the NHL and NBA return. All the rest of the leagues, with exception to the NFL, will have to play significantly shortened schedules.
This is still a rapidly changing and fluid situation. Each league has new ideas on how to get play going sooner, but all end up being put aside in the end. We may not know more about the resumption of leagues until the amount of COVID-19 cases peak, and we start to see a downward trend.
But for now, continue to social distance and wash your hands. Do your part and hope others do theirs. That way, we can get back to a normal way of life soon.
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