NHL Placing Revenue Ahead of Health in Canada Games?

[fletch]

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-slashing-gathering-sizes-reducing-indoor-capacity-limits-as-covid-19-cases-soar-1.5711730

'Ontario has announced new restrictions, including cutting gathering sizes and slashing capacity limits to 50 per cent for most indoor settings, as COVID-19 cases soar in the province.'

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-postpones-nine-more-games-bringing-total-to-90/c-329350856

'The NHL postponed nine games Friday, eight of them due to attendance restrictions in Canadian cities because of COVID-19 concerns...The games will be rescheduled for later in the season when restrictions may be eased or lifted.'

 

This is independent of games postponed because of positive COVID tests among athletes, and I don't believe has been discussed at BSBH.  Some Canadian government entities have restricted gatherings to 50% in indoor settings.  The NHL has responded by postponing games instead of playing them to 50% capacity crowds. The optics are not good, as the NHL has stated that games have been postponed due to attendance restrictions, not public safety.

 

Are the NHL economics so fragile, particularly for Canadian franchises, that playing games to 50% capacity crowds are not feasible?

Is this the public side of a fight between the NHL and government entities, where the NHL is pushing back against conditions in which their games may be played?

 

Ultimately it is putting pressure on Canadian franchises (and their opponents), potentially having to play more back-to-back games and a schedule with less days off.  This is also setting up a scenario (if all games cannot be made up) where teams finish the regular season playing a different number of games, and having to rely on points per game calculations to determine playoff teams and seeds.

 

 

 

 

 

[Pete]

I feel conflicted about the whole issue, and as we've said from the beginning, there is no "one size fits all" answer for every industry, every sport, every country, every situation.

 

I have no issue with the NHL saying they are postponing games due to restrictions. That's the truth, it wasn't their decision to cut to 50% or to proactively cancel games, so why would they say otherwise. Also, why should they proactively cancel games? 

 

I understand that there's a huge and dramatic rise in cases, but there's not a huge and dramatic rise in deaths and most of the deaths are among the unvaxxed, which is sadly their own choice.

 

The longer this goes on, the more people I know who get it (which for me is MANY more people than the original wave or Delta), the more I'm thinking we just get back our lives with masks and distancing where possible. If you want to go to a game, go....if you think it's a risk, don't. 

[Dunny]

The problem here is hospital capacity. It's a single payer, universal system, that is designed to run at 99% capacity in the best of times. Ontario population is 15 million. We're fucked when we get 250 COVID ICU cases. They essentially called a broken arrow on Thursday and have given up. We're not tracking cases, anymore. The system is only able to process 50,000 or so, tests on a daily basis. 

 

We have like 2,300 ICU beds. Ohio has like 9,000 with 25% less people. That's really the biggest issue. It's not a money issue. There's levels upon levels upon levels of bureaucracy and administration in our HC system, but not many beds, or doctors. 

 

Quebec is just another level of central planning hell. They're currently under a curfew. It is against the law to leave your property after 10 PM. Tough to have a hockey game.

 

 

 

 

[Pete]

3 minutes ago, Dunny said:

The problem here is hospital capacity. It's a single payer, universal system, that is designed to run at 99% capacity in the best of times. Ontario population is 15 million. We're fucked when we get 250 COVID ICU cases. They essentially called a broken arrow on Thursday and have given up. We're not tracking cases, anymore. The system is only able to process 50,000 or so, tests on a daily basis. 

 

We have like 2,300 ICU beds. Ohio has like 9,000 with 25% less people. That's really the biggest issue. It's not a money issue. There's levels upon levels upon levels of bureaucracy and administration in our HC system, but not many beds, or doctors. 

 

Quebec is just another level of central planning hell. They're currently under a curfew. It is against the law to leave your property after 10 PM. Tough to have a hockey game.

 

 If this is true then it makes much more sense that the government would mandate vaccines and less sense for people to reject them, since we know being vaxxed reduces the liklihood of needing even a hospital visit, much less an ICU stay.

[Dunny]

9 minutes ago, Pete said:

 

 If this is true then it makes much more sense that the government would mandate vaccines and less sense for people to reject them, since we know being vaxxed reduces the liklihood of needing even a hospital visit, much less an ICU stay.

 

Of course it makes more sense, it's a dime store system, they have no choice. Anti Vax isn't really a big thing here. There are, of course, people that refuse. I proudly live in the lowest vax-rate health unit. We're over 80% double vaxxed over age 12. I think the Province is pushing 90% 

 

However, generations of central planning, bloat, PSU gouging etc. isn't my fucking problem. I pay $1,000/week to be in the socialist club, here, and I ain't rich. Where's our return on that investment? 

 

The only thing saving Ontario right now from having schools, sports shut down, and lockdown re-imposed is that Dougie seems to have found some shred of backbone at the 11th hour.

[fletch]

Right, but last year the NHL found a way to get games in.

 

 They could play games at 50% capacity, or start games at 6 pm or 630 pm local to accommodate curfews and laws.  The NHL has decided against these options, risking no revenue if the games cannot be rescheduled or if the situation worsens.  If the NHL was worried about public health than they could require a mask at games.

 

 From what i’ve seen many people are just tired of restrictions.  they’re going to gatherings, going indoors without masks. Covid seems like it’s going to be around indefinitely so people are just returning to normal.

[josh]

This postponed game is sponsored by the Royal Bank Of Canada. Let's Make Someday Happen™

Edited January 3, 2022 by josh

[Sod16]

Bettman was pretty frank about this when interviewed at the Winter Classic.  The league (and players) have taken such a big hit over the past two years that they understandably are more reluctant to play before empty or limited houses than they were the past two years.