As March 12, 2020 approached, things seemed normal in the sports realm. The coronavirus was just starting to take a grip on the globe, but the NHL and the sports world still seemed immune.

NCAA March Madness was approaching quickly, the push toward the Stanley Cup and NBA Playoffs was well underway, and the MLB season was three weeks away from opening day. However, fears of the then-novel coronavirus started to creep into the heads of NHL executives across the country. A few teams, such as the Columbus Blue Jackets, barred fans from games to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and some teams required reporters to stay out of the locker room.

The Day the Sports World Stopped

However, everything came to a quick head on March 11, 2020. As the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder prepared to play, the game was postponed minutes before tipoff. Jazz center Ruby Gobert had tested positive for coronavirus, and the team learned the next day that guard Donovan Mitchell also caught the disease. The NBA, and and by extension the sports world, was infected.

After that, everything moved at a breakneck pace. The World Health Organization officially declared the coronavirus a pandemic, the NBA suspended its season immediately after the aforementioned positive tests and the NHL and MLB followed suit the next day. From there, lockdowns and staying home became the common themes of all our lives, all in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus.

Life Without Sports

Once sports were gone, viewers everywhere were left with a void that needed to be filled. Without games being played every night, something had to step in and fill the emptiness in our lives. Sports networks across the country aired old games from the teams they cover, trying to provide a temporary escape from life. Other entertainment platforms, from video games to movies, also helped to pass the time. However, each passing day brought only more uncertainty about the future than the day before it.

For writers, a lot of questions arose about what to do with no sports to cover. Members of the media had to find ways to make the most of the circumstances, and we at Drive4Five were no different. We made rankings articles about Islanders history, player report cards, jersey rankings and recalled our own personal hockey experiences, staying on our toes to keep readers fulfilled during the pause. Things remained this way for two and a half months, waiting for our glorious pastime to come back.

Return to Play

However, after what felt like an eternity, hockey returned. In late May, Gary Bettman officially announced the NHL’s Return to Play Plan from the coronavirus pause. 12 teams from each of the two conferences would travel to bubbles in Edmonton and Toronto to take part in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Hockey fans rejoiced.

Fans started counting down the days until puck drop, waiting for their favorite teams to play for sport’s greatest trophy. Journalists and bloggers pumped out series previews, playoff bracket predictions, and debated x-factors to a team’s success, eager to cover this historic postseason. After another two months, on Aug. 1, 2020, the game we loved finally came back. The New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes dropped the puck on the first best-of-five qualifying round series, and the intensity of playoff hockey returned.

From there, the Stanley Cup Playoffs brought fans together again, albeit from afar. There were underdog stories, from the Montreal Canadiens’ stunning upset of the Pittsburgh Penguins to the New York Islanders’ dramatic run to the Eastern Conference Final. Unexpected heroes emerged, from Joel Kiviranta of the Dallas Stars to the Canucks’ Thatcher Demko, along with several fantastic moments in between. In the end, the Tampa Bay Lightning hoisted the Stanley Cup in Edmonton. As the playoffs came to an end, hockey fans were reminded that no matter what, hockey will always bring people together.

Next Season

But the 2020-2021 regular season was in a state of limbo. The NHL hadn’t decided whether it would play a full 82-game campaign or a shortened season. Although there were some fears a season may not happen at all, the NHL and NHLPA agreed to a 56-game season. The league split teams into new divisions that would play exclusively within themselves, including an all-Canadian division. Hockey finally returned to all 31 cities across North America.

Unlike the NHL’s coronavirus-free bubble over the summer, several outbreaks emerged during the regular season. Notable incidents so far include the New Jersey Devils, Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars and Buffalo Sabres. The league had to shuffle some schedules around, but they once again persevered. The NHL adjusted health and safety protocols to improve social distancing, and the league is showing signs of improvement. From having as many as 59 players on the list at one point, the NHL now has only five players on the COVID-19 protocols list at the time of writing, a tremendous achievement from where they were a month ago.

Now, here we are. Two months into one of the craziest hockey seasons in NHL history and one year removed since the beginning of this pandemic. From the uncertain future of the end of the 2020 season to the success of the bubble playoffs and now the 2021 campaign, much credit is due for Gary Bettman and his team for weathering this unprecedented storm.

The NHL After Coronavirus

The NHL has found a way to bring people back together as the country and the world start to remerge from the coronavirus. Fans are starting to return to arenas and coronavirus cases are down across the United States.

The NHL is adapting on the fly to a changing world. “The world keeps changing, and we’ll change with it,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daley said Thursday. As vaccinations rates continue to rise across the country and the pandemic starts to subside, we will be back together soon in sold out arenas ready for the opening puck drop. That day is coming soon, and we can’t wait.

Matthew Page

I am a first year student at Hofstra University and an avid Islanders fan. I have been writing for Drive4Five since March 2020. My family has been season ticket holders for the team since 2016, and hockey is my favorite sport. As I expand my knowledge in the field of Journalism, I am writing to express my love for the Islanders and the NHL.