Hurricanes, NHL face unknowns with spread of coronavirus
The Carolina Hurricanes, after a road game Thursday against the New Jersey Devils, return home to play four of the next five games at PNC Arena.
But will there be games to play? And if so, will there be any fans at those games? There are so many unknowns.
With increasing concerns about the exponential spread of the coronavirus, one has to wonder when -- not if -- the National Hockey League will move to shut down or suspend the season indefinitely. The NBA made that move Wednesday night while the NHL and NHL Players Association issued statements saying they would wait until Thursday before issuing a further update.
“It’s a bigger picture thing,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Wednesday after a team practice in New Jersey. “It’s unfortunate but we’ve got to take action. Hopefully it doesn’t escalate. That’s the fear for me and for everybody. But everybody is trying to do their best and that’s all you can do.”
It’s a fast-moving situation with no real precedents, given the scope of the pandemic. The Atlantic Coast Conference on Tuesday said its men’s tournament would be played as scheduled at the Greensboro Coliseum. A day later, the conference announced all games after Wednesday would be played but with limited attendance.
The Centennial Authority, the PNC Arena landlord, has called a special board meeting for Friday to discuss coronavirus issues and other business related to the arena.
Gale Force Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Hurricanes that operates the arena, issued a statement Wednesday saying there had been no scheduling changes for any PNC Arena events “at this time.” Any changes would be on an event-by-event basis, the statement said.
Some precautionary measures already have been taken in the arena. Nineteen new sanitizer stations have been installed. Sanitizing wipes are being used to clean shared workspaces and equipment for the PNC Arena employees after every shift.
An email sent to employees said: “The most important thing that we can all do is to wash our hands regularly and if you are sick STAY HOME! Do not bring your illness to work.”
Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for North Carolina, with warnings to avoid “mass gatherings” to help stem the spread of COVID-19.
The Hurricanes have had 12 sellout crowds of 18.680 this season at PNC Arena, including four of their past five home games. Another large crowd is expected Friday as the Canes host the Pittsburgh Penguins, and there are home games next week against Buffalo, St. Louis and Ottawa.
On the ice, the Canes (38-25-5) moved into the first wild-card playoff position in the Eastern Conference on Tuesday with their 5-2 road win against the Detroit Red Wings. Carolina, which has won its last three games, got two goals from Sebastian Aho -- the first shorthanded, the second on a power play -- and had goalie Petr Mrazek back in net as he returned from a concussion suffered Feb. 22 in Toronto.
“It wasn’t a great game for us, for sure,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Obviously special teams was the game. (Mrazek) was great, really solid. You could just tell he was on it right from the start and made some real big saves that the right times for us.”
Justin Williams scored in his fifth straight game and rookie forward Morgan Geekie, playing his second NHL game, added another goal, giving the Canes a 1-0 lead. Geekie had two goals and an assist Sunday in a 6-2 win over the Pens.
“He knows how to play and he’s got some skills,” Brind’Amour said of Geekie. “He plays with a little of passion and desire. That’s what you need to have at this level.”
The Canes, following a directive from the NHL, are restricting media access to their locker room and using an interview area for press conferences. Closed locker rooms also are being enforced jointly by the NBA, MLB and MLS.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, in a press conference Saturday in Sunrise, Fla., called closed locker rooms the “prudent thing to do.” Bettman said the league’s decision came after a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Public Health Canada.
This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Hurricanes, NHL face unknowns with spread of coronavirus."
