from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

Ah. Risk. Again, it has all gone so well in rinks across the continent this last fortnight, it is easy to forget that the players, staffs, NHL officials and employees entering the hermetically sealed environment are indeed taking a risk by being there.

Yes, exposure to civilians will be limited and rare, and yes, testing will be ubiquitous, but there is no guarantee that the NHL will be able to pull this off. By reporting the mundane — the choice of the No. 1 goaltender, which top line might be hottest, which first-year players might make the greatest impact, etc. — we imply that a safe environment should be taken for granted.

It is, however, probably closer to the truth that it will be somewhat of a miracle if the NHL can pull off a venture this massive and of this magnitude. If a Stanley Cup champion is crowned in late September or early October, it will represent the greatest success in the history of the league. In that case, we’d suggest that even the cardboard cutouts in the stands would be moved enough to give Gary Bettman a standing ovation when he presents the chalice to Henrik Lundqvist.

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