Washington Capitals: Breaking down Phase 2 return plan

We have now entered Phase 2 Washington Capitals fans.

What this means is that your team is finally hitting the ice! The Washington Capitals announced on Wednesday that they have transitioned to Phase 2 of the Return to Play Plan which will come into effect on Thursday, June 11.

MedStar Capitals Iceplex will remain closed to both the general public and general staff of the team until further notice.

The Caps are working closely to follow guidelines from the CDC, the State of Virginia, and Arlington County (site of their headquarters) in regards to reopening the facility. The team is going to allow select players to participate in training activities that will be individual-oriented both on and off the ice.

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Participation will be on a voluntary basis and will be scheduled for small groups with a maximum of six players at a time including a limited number of team staff. These measures will take place to prioritize the health and safety of all the players involved as everyone is pulling on the same rope in hopes of a season returning.

It’ll be good knowing the players are getting back to speed on the ice with a crazy 24-team playoff format if and when the season comes back. While we won’t see them on the ice until the playoffs are on TV, rest assured there are positive signs ahead.

There won’t be access to the practice facility for the media, general staff, or the fans. The NHL and NHLPA are still working diligently on the dates and set locations for the hub cities for a resumption of play.

Phase 2, however, is not a substitute for training camp. There will still need to be one to take place before we can really talk about the playoffs.

What we can talk about though is the round-robin which will pit the Caps up against the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers.

All three matchups are very intriguing. All four teams are the best in the Eastern Conference and they have a similar situation that the Caps are facing as the whole country continues the road to recovery from the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Keep safe Caps fans and hopefully, we’ll see hockey soon.

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.