“How’s life in the ‘bubble?’”
It’s the ol’, “if I had a toonie for every time I was asked that, (or some sort of variation) I would be a rich man.”
But, alas, I’m not!
Today (Thursday, March 18) will be the sixth full day I’ve been in Regina and, the closest I’ve come to “bursting” the Western Hockey League’s East Division “hub” is when I’ve been in a rink…either the Brandt Centre for games or practices or the neighbouring Co-operators Centre for a practice. I’ve also spent parts of three other days in the provincial capital after having traveled either to or from the city!
Any conversations I’ve had with a coach or player with the Saskatoon Blades has been over my cell phone or by Zoom call. There have been no face-to-face, one-on-one chats as I would have in a normal, non-COVID-19 situation.
That’s because I’m not in the “hub!”
Back when the W-H-L announced that the East Division would begin play on March 12, the seven teams let it be known who from their organization would be included in the “hub.” That meant upwards of 35 people per team would go into self-isolation on February 20; travel to Regina, get tested for COVID-19 and go into dorms at, either, the University of Regina or Luther College for another six days of quarantine time; On March 4, everyone took a second COVID-19 test. All of them were negative, which meant they could get together in their group and begin practicing, attend meetings and eat meals together on March 5. From there, the season began!
For yours truly, there was no self-isolation on February 20…I celebrated my 62nd birthday with my wife. On February 27, I was still at home…and going to work at the Saskatoon Media Group on weekdays. On March 4, I didn’t take a COVID-19 test. In fact, I haven’t had to take one to date. On March 5, while the Bridge City Bunch began practices in Regina, I was still in Saskatoon…wondering what was going on.
I finally drove down to Regina on March 10 and checked into the Obasa Six-Three Suites in the downtown area of the city. I’m on my own, a home away from home that “Dubbles” as a workplace office.
This isn’t exactly glamorous…but I’ve been able to watch the Blue and Gold practice a couple of times and play their first three games! Doing the play-by-play on 98-COOL has been a massive boost for me…especially to my mental health! I have never spent such lengthy periods of time away from being live on location to watch and work in the sports world in my almost 42 years of being in sports media!!
In my hotel suite, I have a kitchenette…and I am taking advantage of it by making my own breakfasts and lunches and doing curbside pick-up for suppers.
When I go to call a Blades’ game, I arrive at the Brandt Centre about 1:15 before first face-off. Normally, I’m at the rink at least three hours before game time. Mind you, in a normal situation, I’m doing one-on-one, face-to-face interviews anywhere from two-and-a-half hours to 90 minutes before game time. Getting them edited and ready for pre-game shows or intermissions happens after that…along with bantering with minor officials staff and other broadcasters and media.
That last sentence doesn’t happen in the Regina “Dubble!” When I arrive at the Brandt Centre, I go through a security check-point and answer some basic COVID-19 questions before heading straight to my broadcast location and set up. My pre-game show interviews, when there is a pre-game show, are done by phone calls earlier in the day. Doing the play-by-play is the same as before (the picture is of my view from up top), but once the game is over, there isn’t a one-on-one interview going live on the post-game show. In today’s day and age of Zoom calls and meetings, that is the format being used to get thoughts on the game from Saskatoon coaches and players out to the public…and I am just one of a number of media participants asking questions in the availability. After I sign off the air, it’s pack up, use a Lysol wipe or two to clean up and sanitize my work space in the broadcast booth and get out of the building…as quickly as possible because we are being told not to linger.
At least not until we get outside! Some of my best conversations with hockey people have been outside the Brandt Centre in between games.
Day-to-day, basically it’s “rinse and repeat” what I’ve just described. Again, it’s not glamorous…but I’m calling hockey games and being around the W-H-L culture again.
And, I’m loving it! I’ll have some new thoughts in this space Friday…cheers!
