OHSWEKEN — Without any hesitation, former Boston Bruins forward Stan Jonathan strongly expressed his belief that the NHL should just wait until next year.
After playing approximately three quarters of the regular season schedule, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced on Thursday, March 12th that the season had been suspended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While it was unclear at the time about whether there would be playoffs, the NHL eventually decided to go ahead with it. Starting on Saturday, August 1st, the league will have a 24- team playoff format competition which of course will see the teams playing in empty arenas.
“I don’t think they should play. I think they should wait until next year,” Jonathan said. “Playing with no fans, it won’t be as exciting.”
During his career, this scrappy Bruins forward enjoyed competing in what were intense playoff series, which are still talked about today with their number one rivals the Montreal Canadiens. Reflecting on those memorable series, Jonathan couldn’t say enough about the Boston Garden fans.
“Our fans got us going. They were excited. It (playoff series against Montreal) was an exciting time,” he said. “They (games) were so close. It was a matter of a couple of turnovers. There are moments in the series I will never forget. It was a thrill getting there and trying to win the Cup.”
He also stated, “Right now, it doesn’t seem like the right time. The timing just isn’t right. It’s risky. The players are in great shape but it’s (COVID-19) spreading so fast.”
Over the past few weeks, some players have decided not to come back due to the health risks. This is something that Jonathan understands and is fully behind the player’s choice.
“The players have a right to say no. It’s their choice,” Jonathan said.
During regular season, Jonathan doesn’t watch games on a consistent basis but come playoff time, he follows the Bruins along with a team he followed in his youth, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“They (Toronto) were having a good season and are an exciting team,” Jonathan said.
Once the calendars turn to August, NHL fans will get their fix when a best of five Eastern and Western Conference qualifying round series opens up in the two hub cities of Toronto and Edmonton.
Cutline (Photo #1) Ohsweken resident Stan Jonathan was drafted fifth round, 86th overall in the 1975 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins. In his career this scrappy forward played in 411 games where he scored 91 goals and 201 points while racking up 751 penalty minutes.
Jonathan believes it’s to risky with the COVID-19 pandemic for the NHL to go ahead with playoffs.
