NHL’s older coaches debate wearing masks, taking precautions

The NHL’s oldest head coach still worries about COVID-19 but not enough to stop doing his job. It’s a risk-reward proposition coaches and executives around sports are weighing, and while Florida assistant Mike Kitchen is the only one to so far opt out of hockey’s return, plenty of others are considering masking up behind the bench and taking other precautions in the middle of a pandemic.

”It’s a different world out there,” Bowness, 65, said. ”I’m going to have to adjust to it, there is no question. I just want to make sure I’m cautious, which we’ve been since this virus started, and I will continue to do that. My health – hey, I’m a grandfather now, my first grandkid. I intend on playing some golf with that kid down the road. I intend on being here a lot longer. So, yeah, am I going to be careful? Absolutely.”

”I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do,” Trotz said Wednesday on his 58th birthday. ”I’m not too concerned. I’m in pretty good health, but it affects everybody differently if you do get it. I don’t want to get it, so there’s a good chance I could have a mask behind the bench, but I haven’t decided yet. I should say I don’t want to give it to anybody if I have it, but I don’t.”

”We’re all doing everything we can not to bring it into our locker room,” Bowness said. ”Give our players credit, as well, because this is a big sacrifice for everyone and they’re looking after themselves.”

”It was possibly easier for me, because of the fact that I was pretty darn safe right from the start,” 53-year-old Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice said. ”I’m really confident in what goes on in our building, tested every second day, I don’t feel particularly exposed.”NHL Face Coverings

We Finally Know When The Montreal Canadiens Are Getting Back On The Ice

Since the Montreal Canadiens opened training camp on July 13, Habs fans have been eagerly anticipating when they can see Nos Glorieux on the ice. Today, the NHL and its Quebec broadcast partners, TVA Sports, finally announced when the Habs are going to be back on the ice. An exhibition game between longtime rivals the Toronto Maple Leafs will be aired on July 28 at 7 p.m.After a few long months, the NHL's return-to-play announcement in May sent shockwaves around the league and initiated an intense sequence of preparations.When the hub cities of Edmonton and Toronto were finally decided upon in early July, anticipation ramped up among fans and players alike.Training camps kicked off shortly after the NHL announced its hub cities and for the past week, your Habs have been hard at work, shaking off the rust and getting their games back.While not technically in the playoffs, the Habs will face the Pittsburgh Penguins in a five-game play-in series to determine whether or not they'll make the playoffs.Over the past weekend, the Habs held their first official full-team scrimmage at their Brossard practice facility.The Habs are widely considered as underdogs against the Penguins but some outlets believe they might pull off an upset.Most importantly for the NHL, the play-in series and subsequent playoffs must go off without a hitch and follow the strictest public health regulations.This means that the Habs will have a limited staff on hand and that all players will need to be housed together with careful schedules to ensure no one gets sick.Games will also be hosted in empty arenas with limited contact between players and arena staff.Reports indicate that some Habs players tested positive for COVID-19 but as it stands, the team hasn't released any further details.Habs defenseman Karl Alzner is so far the only Habs player to opt-out of participating in the play-in series against the Penguins.According to the NHL's COVID-19 report on July 6, more than 2,900 tests were conducted league-wide.23 players apparently tested positive.It'll be a tricky thing to navigate and games won't look or sound the same at all, but hey, at least hockey is finally back!Seattle Kraken Team NHL Face Coverings

Like many NHL players, Brent Burns is missing a few teeth. He has lost three playing hockey and a fourth he says is barely hanging on. "Many casual fans might assume all players are missing a few teeth — not true — but there is far more interest in keeping the originals than there was in the 1980s, a time Kings coach Darryl Sutter recalls seeing players writing their numbers on coffee cups, putting their teeth in the cups and setting them on a shelf before games.
"The joke was switching teeth around," Sutter said with a sly grin."

​The only way the NHL is able to prevent more tooth loss is to mandate players to use a full cage face mask. But in the NHL that isn't going to happen any time soon.

​"Dental care is one of the progressive moves made by the NHL, according to Predators general manager David Poile. When Poile was an administrative assistant for the Atlanta Flames in the early '70s, he said, he doesn't recall the team even having a dentist.
"An oral surgeon who can also do plastic surgery is ideal," added Pronger. "I had a nice set of teeth. Now, I've got new ones. And, I broke my jaw and you probably can't tell I had 50 stitches here and 27 there."

​A few tips in case a tooth gets knocked out- don't wash it in water. Put the tooth in a cup of milk or saliva, or keep it safe under your tongue. Get to your dentist ASAP! If your dentist can see you within 30 min there is a good chance the tooth can be replanted.Florida Panthers Team NHL Face Coverings

The hockey community can now showcase the support of their favorite team in a safe manner as the NHL announced today it has licensed FOCO to manufacture a product line of branded cloth face coverings for all 31 of the league's teams. The merchandise will be sold in packs of three for $24.99 on NHLShop.com.

"The health, well-being and safety of our fans and all communities across Canada, the United States and around the world, is our number one priority," said Kim Davis, NHL's executive vice president of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs. "We're committed to assisting in the effort to support the face covering guidelines from the CDC and Health Canada with the important benefit and outcome of helping food banks across the U.S. and Canada in their efforts to feed people in need during this unprecedented time."

"As a longtime licensee of the NHL, FOCO is proud to participate in the NHL's campaign to support the COVID-19 relief efforts of Feeding America and Food Bank Canada," said Michael Lewis, CEO of FOCO. "In addition to manufacturing the face coverings, FOCO will also be making contributions to support the two organizations' efforts."

The use of cloth face coverings is one of the ways to limit the community spread of the coronavirus, which also includes washing your hands often, social distancing and avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

As the vast majority of Americans lack the experience of living through a contagion, stylizing cloth face coverings may encourage more citizens to practice the safety precautions needed to help reduce the spread of the respiratory virus.