img_6809
NEW YORK (77 WABC) — The New York Islanders became the second metropolitan sports team to open up their practice facility to players.
As part of the second phase of the NHL’s restart plan, team practice facilities across the league opened up for voluntary player workouts on Monday, including the Islanders suburban Long Island facility. Josh Bailey, Matt Martin, Cal Clutterbuck and Thomas Greiss were among a small group of players that practiced for the first time in months.
“It was nice to just get back in there,” Bailey said during a Zoom call with reporters. “It’s a familiar place for us and nice to get back on the ice too. It’s obviously been a while. That’s where we’re comfortable out there, so it’s was nice to feel the puck. We didn’t go too crazy on day one, but nonetheless it was fun to get out there.”
The tenured Islanders forward said the focus for Monday’s on-ice workouts was just to get a feel for the puck again. Not many players have been able to get on the ice since the NHL paused the season on March 12, Bailey said.
Bailey says he's anxious to get back to "some normalcy."
— Christian Arnold (@C_Arnold01) June 8, 2020
The four Islanders were tested over the weekend and then they were tested again on Monday for COVID-19, but Bailey said he wasn’t sure how many more times the players would be tested during Phase 2.
The Islanders joined the Brooklyn Nets as the only two New York area franchises to reopen their practice facilitates. The New York Rangers Westchester practice facility did not open on Monday.
The second phase of the NHL’s restart plan has players participating in voluntary workouts in preparation for formal training camps in phase 3. The fourth phase is the resumption of play, which would see teams taking part in a postseason tournament held in two hub cities without fans in the stands.
The Islanders would face the Florida Panthers in a best-of-five play-in round, while the Rangers will take on the Carolina Hurricanes.
“We’ll have to make sacrifices here and there when the time comes. That’s really where I think most of our heads are at,” Bailey said about the hub city plan.
One step closer to hockey coming back! 👏
Josh Bailey and some of his #Isles teammates skated in a small group today as part of phase 2 of the #NHL's Return to Play Plan: https://t.co/kR8eIypf3s pic.twitter.com/JTrS5BaFnj
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) June 8, 2020
Bailey has remained on Long Island throughout the pandemic along with his wife, two boys and a new baby girl. And he has remained optimistic that the players association and league will be able to finish out the 2019-20 season.
“I’m absolutely optimistic,” Bailey said. “We’re just hoping for the best and hoping we can get a resolution, and get this thing rolling.”
