from Kevn Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe,

To make the grind even more onerous, the Bruins spent Saturday, a rare day off for everyone, essentially sequestered in their Pittsburgh hotel. Again, that’s not new. That’s the gig in 2021, as agreed upon by the league and its players. In an attempt to keep COVID-19 at bay, and keep the games going, even much-needed days of R&R on the road must be whiled away in lockdown.

No team golf outings. No zipping out to see a movie. No meeting up with an old high school pal. No team dinners at a Michelin-rated eatery with rookies stuck ponying up their signing bonuses to cover the tab.

On a recent trip to Washington, Bruins players and staff expressed gratitude that during their day off they at least could meander a bit in their hotel’s outdoor courtyard, soak in some spring sunshine, and luxuriate in the smell of cherry blossoms.

Ah, the wonders of the great outdoors, just beyond the fake ficus trees and sliding doors of the hotel lobby.

“Hockey players are creatures of habit — hockey people are,” coach Bruce Cassidy, asked here earlier in the week about the challenges of the 2021 schedule. “So you’ve got to try to find that routine that makes you tick, while knowing that you’re probably not going to be able to stay in it consistently.

“The other challenge is obviously the social part of it — on the road guys love to go to dinner. That’s where the stories are; that’s where the camaraderie is … coaches do it, we do it all the time ... and you just miss out on some of that, enjoying being at work with your colleagues. Not every team has that, but I know the Bruins have it, and we miss that part of it. Because I think our guys like going to work, they like being around each other, so that part of it is a little bit more difficult.”

Again, not unique to the Bruins. It’s the same across the entire Original 31. But just because everyone has to do it doesn’t remove the stress, frustration, the everyday ennui of hockey, hockey, hockey … and hotel.

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