The Maple Leafs and Oilers will be right at home in the NHL’s bubbles. Well, kind of.
Early on, as it considered options for its planned return, the idea of a truly neutral site was floated. The league moved past college arenas quickly, choosing instead to hold games where it knew all the necessary amenities were in place.
All signs point to Toronto and Edmonton as the NHL’s two hub cities. But even if it has to make a last-minute pivot, the league will stick to its team’s buildings. That means someone is probably playing on its home ice.
Can arenas really be neutral if they’re one team’s home building? The league will do its darnedest to make them so.
There are no fans, so that atmosphere — the biggest advantage — is automatically stripped.
Toronto won’t be holing up in its luxurious dressing room while the rest of the Eastern Conference makes do with the visitor space or makeshift rooms.
The Maple Leafs will clear out or lock up anything they don’t want other teams getting ahold of (medical supplies, team paperwork, etc.).
They did the same when Scotiabank Arena (then named the Air Canada Centre) co-hosted the 2017 World Junior Championship), as did the Lightning when Amalie Arena hosted the 2018 NHL All-Star Game.
The higher seed will likely be the team in the Maple Leafs room in a given game. The NBA Raptors’ space will also be available, similarly buttoned up. But since that locker room is designed for a smaller team, the Leafs’ room remains the premier option.
The only people who will get to stay in their own designated space are Toronto management. General manager Kyle Dubas will still have his office. How much of an advantage that provides a team is questionable.
There’s something to be said for the Maple Leafs players’ familiarity with the space. But every team in the conference has played at Scotiabank Arena once or twice a year. After a couple of days, they’ll all know where to go.
A few games, and they’ll probably get used to the mind-numbingly loud music as well. (Scotiabank might be the loudest arena in the league.)
Early in the league’s pause due to the coronavirus, Lightning coach Jon Cooper said serving as a hub host would be an advantage because players would be able to sleep in their own beds. It’s now clear all teams will stay in the hub hotels, no matter where they live.
If anything, the temptation to pop the bubble and make a quick trip home might be a disadvantage.
No one will be going out and wandering the city. Perhaps being able to get takeout from your favorite places could be an advantage, but it’s a slim one, if anything.
The NHL is doing everything it can to limit any home-ice advantage for the two teams playing in their own arenas. There will inevitably be something small that slips through, but it’s unlikely to be something with much impact.
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