A look inside how the NHL’s bubble will operate

With the NHL and NHLPA finalizing an agreement on the phase three and four protocols and shiny new Collective Bargaining Agreement, information has come out on how the bubble will operate.

And here’s how things are going to happen, as detailed by TSN’s Frank Seravalli.

Inside the bubble, teams will bring a maximum of 52 people including ownership, players, coaches, executives and staff with no more than 31 of which being players. Training camps will open July 13th and teams must submit their lists of people by then.

Teams will have at least one physician, one security rep, one phase four compliance officer and one content creator in the bubble.

Every person will be tested for COVID-19 daily via nasal swab with temperature checks and symptom screenings too.

The list of people tested goes beyond those in the team bubble, as arena ice crew, security, hotel bartenders, food service staff, arena food and beverage staff, hotel housekeeping, hotel kitchen and food prep staff, and bus drivers will also be tested.

A total of 1,248 tests will be required daily for team personnel only and there would be 20,000 tests in the first 10 days alone.

The league and players association has the ability to “postpone, delay, move or cancel any games in the event conditions present ‘risk to player health and safety’ and/or jeopardize ‘the integrity of the competition.'”

That includes if there’s an uncontrolled outbreak of COVID-19 in players with no specific number of cases needed. The league, however, has maintained a singular or even multiple isolated cases won’t halt play.

Any team that’s non-compliant in the rules set out will be subject to “significant penalties, potentially including fines and/or loss of draft picks.” Players who refuse to follow testing and monitoring protocol will not be allowed to participate and may be subject to permanent removal from the bubble.

Those who test positive for COVID-19 will be immediately isolated with a second confirmatory test administered. If that test returns positive, that person will isolate until medical clearance is administered. An asymptomatic positive case will be allowed to rejoin after two consecutive negative tests over a 48-hour period, or after 10 days in isolation.

A ‘symptomatic’ confirmed positive case will also be able to rejoin after symptoms have subsided (no fever, no respiratory symptoms) for a minimum of 72 hours, provided the person was in self-isolation for a minimum of 10 days since the onset of symptoms.

After exiting isolation, those must “‘continue to refrain from exercise for a 14-day period from the time of the first positive test.’ After that, players shall receive cardiac testing, including at a minimum: an ECG, echocardiogram and high-sensitivity troponin.” Contract tracing will occur.

Players will be allowed to opt-out of participation for any reason without penalty. The deadline to opt-out will be three days after the return-to-play protocol is ratified by a vote, likely giving players until at least July 13th.

The team’s bubbles will be tightly secured with players living in single occupancy rooms without roommates. Teams will be assigned floors and won’t be permitted to enter each other’s rooms.

Hotel bars and restaurants will be open and available in the bubble provided social distancing is followed. Players will have access to hotel pools and fitness centres. Everyone will have access to contactless room service delivery and delivery from local restaurants.

League-approved trips will be available inside and outside the bubble for things like designated tee-times at local golf courses, for example. Face coverings will be mandatory for everyone when outside their hotel rooms and can be removed during exercise and play on the ice and when eating/drinking. Coaches and on-ice officials are not required to wear masks in-game.

Players will be tested three times, 48 hours apart in the seven days prior to arriving in the bubble and will not be subject to quarantine upon arrival.

Players authorized to leave for medical reasons or extenuating circumstances will be permitted to return but will be forced to quarantine pending four negative tests over a four-day period or longer.

Players’ immediate families will be permitted to join the bubble during Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals in Edmonton and will stay in the same hotel room as the player only after acceptable quarantine and daily testing have been conducted.

With players gone from home, NHL teams will offer families assistance by providing grocery delivery and errand delivery services.

The NHL and its teams will not be identifying players who test positive without approval from the NHL or NHLPA.

Lastly, large cleaning procedures will happen “Between every period during games, each bench area must be disinfected, including flooring, bench surface, top of dasher board and water bottle area. Vertical dividers will separate each players’ water bottle. All locker rooms, team spaces and event floor areas will also be disinfected daily.”

On Twitter: @zjlaing