Washington Capitals striker Lars Eller said he will leave Toronto’s “bubble” safe for the birth of his son during the restarted NHL season.
Eller and his wife Julie Eller await the birth of their second child together on August 8. That’s during the Capitals’ round-robin schedule, when Tampa Bay Lightning (August 3), Philadelphia Flyers (August 6) play. ) and Boston Bruins (August 8) for planting for the next round. The games will be played at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, where the Eastern Conference teams will begin arriving on July 26.
Eller said she considered opting out of the NHL comeback plan this summer.
“We thought a lot about the decision. Weighing the pros and cons. We are going to have a new addition to our family in a couple of weeks. But at the same time, I want to be with my team and win another Cup. We are working to make the arrangements necessary for me to be there for birth and then return to the bubble after that, “he said in a conference call Tuesday.
In the NHL-NHLPA return-to-play agreement, individuals are allowed to leave the Phase 4 Safe Zone for extenuating circumstances such as the birth of a child, provided that the team’s general manager approves.
But returning to that safe area is another matter. According to the NHL, people who leave the bubble for extenuating circumstances “must return at least four consecutive negative PCR test results over a four-day period, and must quarantine their individual hotel room until such testing requirements have fulfilled fulfilled. “
In some cases, depending on where the player traveled, how they traveled, and with whom they interacted, returning players would be subject to a nasopharyngeal testing regimen and a quarantine period of up to 14 days.
“You will have to take a lot of precautions when you leave,” Eller said. “Depending on how you are going to travel and who you are traveling with … I will have to spend time in the bubble and try several times before I can join my team and play. We are working on trying to figure out how to do this in the best way possible. But that’s what’s going to happen. “
You are not alone in balancing back-to-game protocols with parenting. A handful of NHL players welcomed new children during the season break, and Eller’s teammate Carl Hagelin said that he and his wife Erica Hagelin are expecting their second child in September, when the Capitals could be playing in the elimination series.
“Right now I am not focusing too much on that,” Hagelin said Tuesday, before adding that he intends to leave the bubble for birth if necessary.
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