NHL Mistake: Phase 3 Camps Could Undo Stanley Cup Playoffs

Call it a mistake of optimism or goodwill. Call it wishful thinking. Whichever label you choose to apply to the NHL-NHLPA agreement, which allowed players to live at home, and self-quarantine for Phase 3 training camps looks like the flaw in an otherwise beautiful system. The Montreal Canadiens nearly had the first outbreak of Phase 3, and the Pittsburgh Penguins were close, too.

And this is just Day 1.

The National Hockey League and Players Association spent weeks creating an impenetrable bubble city. Just when we thought they were to the finish line, COVID-19 roared back. And things changed.

But…