OCTOBER 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM
//
41
T
h
e
N
H
L
T
h
i
nks
O
u
tsi
de
T
he
Box
By
B
ri
n
g
i
n
g
T
e
a
m
s
I
nsi
de
A
Bubble
T
o
F
i
ni
sh
The
Season
W
hen the NHL paused the season on March 13, the thought of hoisting the Stanley
Cup this season seemed like a pipe dream. But thanks to some out of the box
thinking, the NHL proved the old show business adage that the show can go on.
By creating a pair of hockey biospheres in Toronto and Edmonton, the league
managed to keep the coronavirus in check as teams pursued their Cup dreams.
These self-contained bubbles featured everything that players could want. Well,
almost everything. They were separated from their families for the early rounds,
and fans in the stands were replaced by piped in crowd noises taken from the
league's popular EA Sports NHL 20 video game. Digital fans were able to show
their support on large video screens located throughout the arenas.
Because the league didn't have to worry about blocking the view of the fans in
the stands, 32 cameras (12 more than usual) were placed in some pretty unique
areas, giving television viewers a chance to experience the game as they never have before.
Then again, that could be said about everything taking place this season.
