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!

Hurricanes model trio of cloth face masks for annual team photo

"We know we have to do this to give us a chance," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "No one knows what's going on with this (virus), but we're being told if you wear this, it gives you a better chance to not get it or give it to other people. That's the message, plain and simple."

The players and staff were wearing three different types of masks. One had a large Hurricanes logo across the front on a split red and black background. Another had many small team logos on a black background and the third just read "CANES" with the storm flag inside the "C" in all capital letters across the front.

"I think guys are having fun with it," Hurricanes goalie James Reimer said. "Obviously you're trying to do your part. You had the Canes logos on there, and it is different. I think everyone is looking forward to a time when wearing masks won't be necessary, so you're just kind of grinding it out now and trying to make the best of it."

North Carolina governor and longtime Hurricanes fan Ray Cooper tweeted his approval of the picture and emphasized the importance of wearing a mask during the pandemic.Seattle Kraken Team NHL Face Coverings

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.”Florida Panthers Team NHL Face Coverings

Hockey equipment company making face shields for medical professionals

Bauer Hockey, the manufacturer of hockey equipment and apparel for the NHL, will make protective visors for first responders after the coronavirus pandemic forced the suspension of the hockey season.

“Right now, we're all on the same team. We're repurposing our facilities to make face shields so that medical professionals battling COVID-19 can safely continue to help those most vulnerable,” the company said in an Instagram post Wednesday.

"We contacted Quebec government officials to tell them about our project. We are awaiting their authorization and will be ready to launch our production as soon as we have received the green light,” Dan Bourgeois, vice president of Bauer's product innovation, told Canadian sports news site RDS.ca, Newsweek reported. “We could deliver our first visors as of next week.”

Bourgeois said a number of the 50 to 80 people normally tasked with making skates for professional players are now working from home amid the pandemic. The virus has led to at least 2,792 confirmed cases and 27 deaths in Canada, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau entered quarantine after his wife tested positive for the virus.

The company’s current model is intended for single use, he added, but he said the company is currently developing one for multiple uses. He told Newsweek the company is also prepared to offer the visors to medical professionals in the U.S., telling the magazine, "We are also deploying the same products to our manufacturing site in Liverpool, New York."

François Legault's face mask puts Canadiens back in spotlight

Premier wears mask during COVID-19 news conference, but says there will be no parade if team miraculously wins its 25th Stanley Cup this year.

When the Quebec premier held his daily COVID-19 news conference at Place des Arts, he put on a bleu-blanc-rouge mask with the Canadiens logo on it that had been made by Longueuil company Image Folie.

Legault said the mask had been sent to him by Canadiens captain Shea Weber.

When NHL commissioner Gary Bettman decided to “pause” the NHL season on March 12 because of the coronavirus, the Canadiens had a 31-31-9 record with 11 games remaining and appeared certain to miss the playoffs for the third straight season and the fourth time in five years. Their final regular-season game was slated for April 4 in Toronto against the Maple Leafs.Nashville Predators Team NHL Face Coverings