The Miami Marlins suffered Major League Baseball’s first COVID-19 outbreak just four days into the 2020 season, something Bruce Cassidy is hopeful is just a “one-time incident.”
The Bruins head coach was with his team in Toronto for Boston’s first practice in the NHL’s bubble city as it prepares for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Players will be in Toronto and Edmonton, depending on their conference, and will be in a “secure zone.”
They’ll have access to everything they possibly could need, much like the NBA’s Orlando, Fla. bubble. The NHL announced Monday it had no positive coronavirus cases at the conclusion of Phase 3. Obviously, MLB players are not in. a bubble and continue to travel to visiting ballparks.
Cassidy hopes the bubble city will prevent an outbreak like the Marlins’.
“Obviously it’s a concern. Different sport than ours obviously. Sports in general coming back is good for society,” he said Monday on Zoom. “If the players and staff are able to stay healthy and put a good product on the field or on the ice, that will be good for everybody. Hopefully, it’s a one-time incident. I don’t know if it’s related to Florida being a little more of a hotspot right now. So far, we’re all healthy here. People are on the ice and up and running today. Hopefully, it stays safe and healthy for everyone here.
“… We are in a bubble. Major League Baseball is not. Hopefully, it’s a one-time incident.”
Of course, only time will tell if the NHL faces something similar. Hopefully, it doesn’t and everyone will remain healthy throughout the playoffs.
