The NHL recently announced that all game broadcasts will have a five second delay along with artificial sound during the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. The league also sent out a memo to all 24 teams detailing the life in the bubble including how the sound and look of games will sound and be like.
There’s new broadcast information that many fans have been asking about. All the Eastern Conference games will be produced by NBC and Western Conference games will be produced by Sportsnet as reported by Greg Wyshnyski of ESPN. The updated schedule can be found here which includes all the broadcasts. The telecast information is from Aug. 1 – Aug. 5.
To clarify, games that are on NBC are exclusive. Games that are on NBCSN and USA Network will be blacked out in the local markets. Check your local listings.
Both arenas will have a five second broadcast delay along with artificial sounds from video games and season-ticket holder submission videos that will be played in every game. Image courtesy: Frank Gunn
Both arenas in Toronto and Edmonton will have 32 cameras which is 12 more than the normal amount. All cameras will be repositioned for viewers to see more of the ice and show new angles.
The NHL also constructed LED screens and banners behind the benches in both arenas. The empty seats on the lower bowl of both arenas will be covered by a tarp.
There will be a five second delay to hopefully prevent any profanity being heard by players on the ice. This is something that both the NHL and NHLPA agreed upon. Additional sound will be provided by “EA Sports’ supplemental crowd noise” to fill the audio void. Major League Baseball and soccer’s English Premier League have also done this in their season restarts. All 31 teams also asked their season-ticket holders to send videos of them cheering, jeering and chanting which will be played in both arenas.
The league also wanted to figure out a way to continue to spread the message and awareness of social justice as well as honoring frontliners working during this pandemic. Therefore, the NHL came up with “special theme nights” to address both topics. The first “special theme night” will be on Aug. 1 where the league will “honor frontline pandemic workers and those who are advocating for social justice.”
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— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) June 4, 2020
They are also allowing its players to customize their helmet and uniform decals. A player’s design has to celebrate “community, charities, businesses, fans, frontline heroes, youth programs and social justice advocates”. The decals will also have the hashtags #ISkateFor and #WeSkateFor.
The NHL released new information about life in the bubbles. Players could be there for up to 2½ months depending on how deep their team goes. Both cities will have 14 restaurants, bars, pubs, food trucks and coffee shops, eight movie theaters and activity spaces. There will also be player lounges in both hubs.
Everybody inside the bubble will be tested daily for COVID-19. Every person will use the CLEAR Health Pass on their mobile devices. This app will be able to track health and perform real-time temperature checks from more than 75 access points in both hub cities.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
