The COVID Cup: What It Means for the Flyers and the NHL
It is starting to feel like we are finally getting closer to seeing real hockey day by day.
Phase 2 of the NHL’s return to play started up this past week, where we have seen some players back on the ice in groups up to six.
Where Are We At?
At this point, players aren’t doing heavy skating, but only getting their legs under them again and warming up their hands as they have been away from the rink for almost three months.
What’s Next?
It was also announced this week by the league that Phase 3 (Training Camp) is planned to begin on July 10th. What does this mean for fans? We may see a couple videos here and there of some of our Flyers messing around on the ice over the next couple weeks, but not much real content until Phase 3 opens up.
Once the team is all together and really going through drills daily, it will feel like hockey is really back, so we still have another month to hold out.
There is no official date released yet for Phase 4 which is the start to the playoffs, but it sounds like we will see actual games played in early August, and oh boy this playoff format is going to be fun especially for Flyers fans. Starting off with a round-robin with the other 3 top-seeded teams, we will get to see some tune-up games against the Bruins, Lightning, and the Capitals. Where the Flyers are seated, the only way to go is up as they were slotted as the 4th seed in the East, and that is the worst they can end up after these 3 games. If they come out strong they can end up higher up so there’s nothing to lose (of course we would like to see them win a couple of these).
What Will The Games Be Like
It’s going to be different, that’s for sure. No fans of course, so it’ll be interesting to see what the NHL ends up doing for audio on the games. I’m hoping they don’t pump in fan noise, as I know that’ll be really awkward for the players and will seem fake as a viewer as well. The best option as a viewer in my opinion would be a ton of mics around the ice to hear players. Of course, that would not be very family-friendly so we’d probably see everything on a time delay to mute out certain language. This would be a great opportunity to actually get to hear some of the in-game communication, it just depends if the NHL sees this as feasible.
As for the actual play, it will be a rocky start for everybody, but all teams will be in the same boat. Luckily for the Flyers, the first 3 games don’t mean a ton so they can just focus on getting a couple of games under their belt. The most important things that will happen in those games are players getting their confidence, getting Vigneault’s systems back in place, and Carter Hart getting comfortable in the crease.
Around the league, we will see some high scoring games while everyone knocks the rust off, and there will definitely be some upsets. Mixing in the long break with playoff games right off the bat, we will see goaltenders being even more important than normal (even though they were already the most important for the playoffs). We will see at least a couple teams out of the gate that just loses their play-in series because their goalie was not good to go come game time.
As for the Flyers, I have a good feeling about them. They have a good mix of young and veteran players, and the stoppage occurred while we were on a hot streak. Hopefully, this has kept everyone hungry for the return. It will be tougher for teams to get going without fans, but from what we’ve seen this season we have a very strong locker room with Giroux leading the way.
What Will Fans Think Of The Winner
There has been a lot of discussion about how big of an asterisk this season will have next to it. Due to the 24 teams getting a shot instead of 16, some believe the winner of the COVID Cup will not be as worthy as other teams. I believe the exact opposite, as this will be an even tougher challenge than normal.
Adding in so many changes to the norm, the team that wins this year will have gone through an extremely challenging journey. Compared to other shortened seasons in 1995 and 2013 where everyone played only 48 regular-season games, this year everyone played around 70 games. If Phase 4 starts in early August, the players would have then had almost five full months between actual games.
Coming back with no fans, a new format, and nobody has a real home-ice advantage, this road to the Cup will be a complete grind. Due to the long break, it is also inevitable that we will see more injuries than normal, so expect to see even more playoff heroes coming out of the woodwork.
Either way, I’m ready for hockey to be back in full force.
Let’s go Flyers!
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