Team facilities opened for small-group workouts Monday, and camps will open July 10. Now, players are expected to trickle back to prepare for the season.
John Tavares took his sticks home from the rink in Toronto to tape them up so he wouldn’t waste his limited time there.
Across the border, Andrew Copp is waiting things out in the U. S. before returning to Winnipeg for the start of mandatory training camps because of Canada’s 14-day quarantine regulation because of the coronavirus pandemic.
NHL players could start participating in voluntary small-group workouts, and teams began opening their training facilities Monday. Players learned Thursday training camps can open July 10, pending an agreement on returning to play later this summer. Now, the players are expected to trickle back in preparation of the resumption of the season.
“We’ve obviously got quite a few of our guys here in town and here at the facility kind of getting on the same page, which is great,” said Tavares, the Maple Leafs’ captain. “We’ve got a lot of guys that are still trying to figure out their situation, but obviously have some very good setups and understand their importance to get things up to speed.”
Getting back to games will take the league and players agreeing on testing and health-and-safety protocols amid the pandemic. They already signed off on a 24-team playoff format, developed a protocol for initial workouts and set a potential start for camps.
