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Lightning Round: NHL share more details on playoff bubbles and Seattle get Kraken

Posted on by Hardev

On Thursday night, the NHL shared a presentation with the media outlining more details about the Playoff Bubbles that teams will be going into at the end of the month.

The presentation went over what the secure zones will look like in Toronto and Edmonton, what the games will look like on TV, the health and safety systems, and the ways players and teams can show support for social issues. You can follow the threads by Chris Johnston, Sean Shapiro, and the NHL’s PR account for more details beyond the jot notes I’m writing.

Game Presentation

  • The NHL will be adding graphics to fill out the space left by the empty seats rather than cutouts of fans.
  • Games will be on a 5 second delay in order to cover up any bad words the teams use.
  • Crowd noise from the EA Sports game will be added to the broadcast live.
  • All the regular sounds and anthems will be played.
  • “Fans of each of the 24 resuming Clubs have replicated chants,” so that should be fun./

Secure Zone Toronto

Toronto has a pretty sweet setup

  • The Lightning, who are in Hotel X, will have access to BMO Field (the soccer field) for outdoor activities and entertainment within the suites.
  • Teams on the Exhibition grounds will be shuttled to Scotiabank Arena in private team busses).
  • There are four practice pads down the road at the Leafs facility (the league will provide private team busses here too).
  • There are lots of food options in and out of the bubble, including takeout.
  • There are also tennis courts, golf suites, movie theatres, and fitness studios.
  • Coaching staffs (and GMs) will have access to the Scotiabank Arena suites to be used as offices.
  • There is also Pickleball? Whatever that is. /

Secure Zone Edmonton

Idk, it’s ok.

  • Edmonton has a massive testing facility.
  • Similar offices for coaches and GMs.
  • Practice pads.
  • Team dedicated lounges within Rogers Arena.
  • Tim Horton’s coffee. /

Social Outreach

The NHL has come up with a hashtag called We Skate For in order to give players an avenue to speak about social issues while in the bubble. Players will be encouraged to talk about honoring front line workers and the “social justice” movement (without naming names). #WeSkateForColby is really sweet, after the Edmonton Oilers player tragically died shortly after the season was cancelled. #WeSkateForTheStateOfHockey is a bit wordy. The NHL is being very rigid about this stuff, which I find problematic, but I shared my thoughts separately on Twitter.

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Mathieu Joseph are going to be living in the same hotel (Hotel X) during the bubble playoffs. And guess what? They’re brothers!

The Seattle Kraken is officially the name of the 32nd NHL franchise that will be arriving to the league in Fall 2021. They have an incredible name, logo, and colors. And their social media game is pretty fun too! You can check out our sister site, Knights on Ice, who did a great rundown of everything that was shared on Thursday.

Oh, and the MLB might see their bubble burst for the funniest reason. Keep it in your pants, fellas!

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Talking Points