Bill Daly said that the NHL will continue releasing testing capacity and results during Phases 3 and 4GETTY IMAGES
The NHL announced that it has "prohibited teams from releasing coronavirus test results and injury information during its season restart this summer," according to Greg Wyshynski of ESPN.com. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said, "We've talked to the NHLPA about it and continue to feel that medical privacy is important in this process. ... At least for now, we're going to maintain a policy where the league is announcing (testing) numbers and clubs are prohibited from giving any information with respect to COVID test results; and, for the purposes of making the system work, any injury information, going forward." Daly said that the NHL "will continue releasing testing capacity and positive test results numbers during Phases 3 and 4 of the league's restarted season." NHLPA Special Assistant to the Exec Dir Mathieu Schneider said that medical privacy in testing was a "'high priority' for players in the return-to-play talks" (ESPN.com, 7/11). In L.A., Helene Elliott wrote, "Get accustomed to a lack of explanation about absences." Daly said, "The interests of medical privacy are important and we're going to protect them" (L.A. TIMES, 7/12).
SPECULATION TO RUN RAMPANT: SPORTSNET.ca's Chris Johnston noted while not disclosing injuries is "arguably the only reasonable way to protect privacy ... it certainly won’t quiet speculation when a player is nowhere to be found on the ice during training camp." While it is "understandable why players feel they value and deserve discretion ... there's a certain public trust involved with this entire endeavour, too" (SPORTSNET.ca, 7/11). In Toronto, Michael Traikos writes the NHL wants fans to believe the lack of public test results and injury information is a privacy issue, but the league wants to "control the message at a time when the potential negative press from one, two or a handful of tests could end up shutting down the NHL's dream of awarding a Stanley Cup before a single game is even played." While the league plans to give "daily or weekly updates during the playoffs as to how many players have tested positive for COVID-19," it will not identify the players or teams impacted. Traikos: "The latter two details are just as important as the first. In some ways, with up to 12 teams living inside the same bubble, they are even more essential" (TORONTO SUN, 7/11).
WHEN A POSITIVE ISN'T POSITIVE: In Denver, Mike Chambers brought up the hypothetical situation of Avalanche C Nathan MacKinnon testing positive but being "asymptomatic or isn’t too sick to play." The NHL has been clear that he will be "on lockdown and not eligible to return until he has four consecutive negative tests." Chambers: "But what if tracing leads to a waiter inside the hotel bubble likely spreading COVID-19 to MacKinnon, among hundreds of players staying at that hotel, with each team on different floors but everyone eating the same food? If MacKinnon tests positive but is asymptomatic or feels good enough to play, do you really make him a mandatory scratch while all the others exposed in the same bubble hotel continue to play?" The NHL has "never before been so concerned with a player’s health during the Stanley Cup playoffs" (DENVER POST, 7/11).
