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The NHL has faced immense challenges since pausing the 2019-20 season March 12, 2020. The COVID-19 situation has evolved constantly. So has the response by medical officials and governments from city to city, country to country.
Through it all, the NHL has had two primary goals: Keep everyone as safe as possible and award the Stanley Cup with integrity.
Since Aug. 1, 2020, the NHL has administered more than 350,000 COVID-19 tests to players and staff. It had no positive tests in the 2020 postseason, but it wasn't practical to play the 2020-21 season in bubbles.
The NHL shortened the regular season to 56 games, realigned temporarily to eliminate travel across the Canada-United States border until the Stanley Cup Semifinals, and adopted 12 COVID-19 protocols (that were updated more than two dozen times).
There were 12 teams shut down, 55 games postponed, 132 games rescheduled and more than 200 players on the COVID-19 list. At the highest point, Feb. 12, there were 59 players on the COVID-19 list. At the lowest points, including Wednesday, there were none.
Slowly, depending on the situation in each market, fans returned to arenas. Amalie Arena eventually reached full capacity.
"It took an incredible team effort by everybody at the clubs, supported by ownership, the League office and the players," Commissioner Bettman said. "The players really had to put themselves out there both on and off the ice to get through this with all of our health and safety concerns. It was, for the ultimate team sport, the ultimate team effort."
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The process of awarding the Cup reflected the challenges of the season.
Each time a team potentially can clinch the Cup, the NHL holds a planning meeting the day of the game that includes departments across the League, because each moment must be choreographed, each detail checked. This year, even that meeting had to be done via video conference.
The NHL had to adhere to special COVID-19 protocols in both Montreal and Tampa to cross the Canada-United States border with a modified quarantine, under the national interest exemption Canada granted the League.
The Lightning had a chance to clinch the Cup in Game 4 at Bell Centre in Montreal on Monday. Commissioner Bettman left his suite with about 10 minutes to go in the third period as he usually does. Even though the Canadiens were leading 2-1 at the time, you never know. He bumped into Patrick Roy in the hallway, took an elevator down to the lowest level and then walked through what looked like a metal detector at an airport.
Only it wasn't a metal detector. It was a disinfectant shower. Everyone coming that way had to walk through a fine spray of chemicals, even the Commissioner.