I get Ryan Strome.
I’m just as sick and tired as the Rangers center of COVID-19 forcing game postponements and players to the COVID protocol list. I understand how badly players wanna play (I was a well-below-average one, myself) and that fans desperately wanna see hockey (my winter break from work was to start with my daughter and me sipping hot cocoa while watching our beloved Blueshirts destroy the HabNots).
To borrow a phrase from Joe M., the New York Post did a “fabulous” job of scooping the competition for Strome’s sentiments (link below). Again, I can empathize with Strome here. I just don’t agree the NHL should be playing with players who tested positive but are asymptomatic; I’m no doctor but common sense and the fact the USA leads the world in COVID-19 deaths with 800K (as of Dec. 15) justifies extreme caution by the NHL.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/u-s-leads-world-at-800k-covid-19-deaths-here-s-how-canada-ranks-1.5708120led
Again, I get Strome (and others who want the NHL to proceed in pre-pandemic mode). And, yeah, the NBA and NFL are playing. But at what cost? From a competitive standpoint, the games are boring. Unless that is, you enjoy watching mostly healthy teams (see: Miami Dolphins and New York Knicks) destroy COVID-ravaged teams (see: New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Hawks).
Sorry, but I wouldn’t do cartwheels watching a healthy Rangers team obliterate a severely short-handed Islanders club. As much as I detest the Isles, I want the Blueshirts to beat the daylights outta a full-strength Isles team. This way, their crybaby, front-running fans can’t use COVID as an excuse.
And consider the reverse: Do Rangers fans really wanna peep a full Isles team pummel a Blueshirts club minus six or seven key regulars lost to COVID protocol?
I don’t.
The NHL is bland enough already.
blue94.com 