NHL Meetings
The National Hockey League and the NHLPA have reportedly formed a committee to plan out an eventual return to play.
The current view appears to have playing out NHL rinks now as a necessity.
The original concept that was floated had neutral site buildings hosting NHL games, but the consensus is that any return to activity by the NHL requires NHL facilities; multiple locker rooms, technology, video replay, broadcasting facilities and more.
Five NHL'ers including Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares are part of the committee which reportedly has conducted a pair of conference calls over the past few days.
The report suggests regularly scheduled ‘meetings will follow
Stamkos Cleared
IF the National Hockey League returns in the short term, Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos has been cleared to play.
Stamkos who played in the Ontario Hockey League for the Sarnia Sting, underwent surgery for a core muscle injury on March 2nd and was expected to miss the rest of the regular season and potentially the first round of the playoffs.
But with the NHL on hold since March 12th, Stamkos, who is the captain of the Lightning, has been able to rehab the injury and has received the green light to return to action.
NBA Facilities To Open
Some NBA players will be allowed to return to team training facilities starting Friday, provided that their local governments do not have a ” stay-at-home ” order in place as part of the response to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, Group practices would not be allowed, and teams will not be permitted to organize in-person workouts.
In the United States, Georgia and Oklahoma are among the states that have allowed some businesses to reopen and some cities in Florida are expected to loosen their stay-at-home policies in the days ahead.
The NBA closed all practice facilities on March 19th.
Commissioner Adam Silver has repeatedly stated the league does not anticipate being able to decide until sometime in May ( at the earliest ) if a resumption of the season is possible.
Bulls Hire Eversley
Philadelphia 76ers assistant General Manager Marc Eversley has agreed to a deal to become the Chicago Bulls‘ new General Manager.
The Bulls fired former GM Gar Forman earlier this month after being in the organization for 22 years.
Eversley, who is Canadian, was hired in Philadelphia by former Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo.
He also worked with Colangelo during his time with the Toronto Raptors and also served as the Washington Wizards’ vice-president of scouting.
Winston To Saints
Quarterback Jameis Winston reportedly is finalizing a one-year deal to play for the New Orleans Saints in the NFL.
Sources relate Winston’s 2020 salary will be very economical, fitting inside the Saints’ already tight salary cap for next season.
Winston’s signing won't guarantee him the backup job behind starter Drew Brees. Instead, the best case scenario for Winston may ultimately be competing for the No. 2 quarterback spot with Taysom Hill,
Masters Curling Cancelled
The 2020 Canadian Masters Curling Championships, scheduled to be played in St. John, New Brunswick earlier this month were cancelled and will not be rescheduled.
Both Curl Canada and the World Curling Federation made the decision not to reschedule their events due to the uncertainty of the COVID 19 situation
The Blue Water Curling Club with skip Al Hutchinson was scheduled to represent Ontario
The Hutchinson rink includes Kevin Daniel of Wasaga Beach, Daryl Shane from Kitchener & Hanover's Don Shane.
Newman Ready To Return
Ford driver Ryan Newman claims he'll be ready to resume racing when NASCAR returns.
Newman suffered a head injury while racing for the lead on the final lap of the Daytona 500 on February 17th and was hospitalized for less than 48 hours.
While Newman states he's ready to return, NASCAR said in a statement that Newman has not yet been cleared by the series to come back to competition.
There are suggestions that NASCAR could resume as early as May 17th.
European Soccer
Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte has announced that professional sports teams can resume training on May 18th.
which opens the door for the Serie A soccer league to resume in June.
Serie A has been suspended since March 9th, when the government ordered a nationwide lockdown.
Twelve rounds remain in Serie A, plus four other games that were postponed from the 25th round.
The Italian Cup could also resume after it was suspended following the first leg of the semifinals.
Spain’s health minister says soccer fans should not expect to see professional action before the summer.
Spain has been without soccer since March 12th, two days before the nation went into a strict lockdown under a state of emergency.
The coronavirus outbreak has claimed more than 22,000 lives in Spain