Category: Viral
Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign
The SEIU in late March said it found a supplier who had the masks sitting in a warehouse. But investigators now say they were never there to begin with, and the union was the target of a scam.
While healthcare workers attempt to save everyone who is sick, other workers deemed essential are putting themselves at risk every day to make sure that society functions during the coronavirus pandemic.
The rural area around Sun Valley, Idaho, became one of the earliest hot spots of COVID-19 cases in the US. Now, its residents can teach us something about what’s next.
The NHL, just like every other sport that doesn’t have an ‘e’ in front of it, remains on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first round of NHL playoffs should be underway, but at this point the regular season hasn’t officially ended and games are still on the books as merely postponed. At this point it seems clear that if the league were to resume play it would have a very different schedule, and possibly play a lot of games in the same venues to mitigate risk of contracting COVID-19.
According to ESPN, the NHL is getting pitches from small towns across North America to be the site of the NHL playoffs, if they are to actually happen this summer. While NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN’s Emily Caplan and Greg Wyshynski that the league was putting together a “laundry list” of things they would need from venues and cities to hold a quarantine league, they haven’t taken any real steps toward making it a reality.
“We do have people putting together the comprehensive laundry list of what we would need from facilities and evaluating some facilities on some level,” Daly said. “But I can’t tell you we’ve even finished creating a list [of potential sites], much less narrowed it down.”
Among the reported possible locations for neutral-site games, which would likely be held in empty arenas, are Grand Forks, North Dakota; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. But Daly said the NHL hasn’t even “created the field yet” in determining which sites would work.
The fact of the matter remains that while many are desperate for hockey to happen, there’s also a laundry list of things that would have to go perfectly for it to happen at all. Members of the Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche have officially tested positive, including a third member of the Avs more than three weeks after the initial shutdown of the league itself.
Ensuring everyone in the NHL has consistent access to testing, that people living in these more remote places perhaps not as severely impacted by the pandemic could be safe, and that no one would get sick and shut down the postseason again are just a few of the concerns. There’s also more logistical concerns such as proper practice and workout facilities, lodging and how television contracts can be honored by a more abbreviated postseason and, presumably, the cancelation of the regular season altogether.
These quarantine league ideas are novel and every major sports organization appears to be working on one as we bide our time in isolation, but the fact of the matter is they would be extremely difficult to pull off and offer a bevy of problems that may only make things worse. Good on places like Manchester, New Hampshire to shoot their shot at pro sports in a crisis, though.
The hockey world was shocked earlier in the week when it learned Edmonton Oilers forward Colby Cave had been hospitalized and was put in a coma after suffering a brain bleed. Sadly, Saturday brought word that he died at just 25 years old. Cave’s wife, Emily, released a statement saying the Oilers and former Boston Bruins player had passed away.
“It is with great sadness to share the news that our Colby Cave passed away this morning,” the statement said according to ESPN. “Both our families are in shock but know our Colby was loved dearly by us, his family and friends, the entire hockey community and many more. We thank everyone for their prayers during this difficult time.”
The Oilers organization was understandably shocked that Cave, a third year player who was claimed on waivers by Edmonton in January of 2019, was so suddenly gone. The team shared his last goal on Twitter on Saturday, which he scored on the road against Pittsburgh before the NHL season was suspended due to COVID-19.
We’ll never forget Colby’s last @NHL goal as he displayed some tremendous skill to help the #Oilers capture a big road victory in Pittsburgh this season.
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 11, 2020
The NHL’s account also showed his first, which he scored as a member of the Bruins.
Colby Cave’s first NHL goal. We will never forget. pic.twitter.com/Ff0uB5SmYf
— NHL (@NHL) April 11, 2020
The Oilers organization was particularly emotional about his shocking death, which stunned an NHL community filled with uncertainty while the season and organized sports in general are wondering when it will be safe to play hockey again. Now it mourns a tragic passing in a world filled already filled with so much loss amid a pandemic.
