Even with no fans, season opener let the Penguins feel normal for once

Sidney Crosby had waited roughly five months to play a game.

So what was another 30 seconds?

Just before the Penguins captain lined up to take a faceoff against Philadelphia Flyers forward Sean Couturier, he backed off.

Referee Kelly Sutherland asked for a few moments before he dropped the puck for the opening draw of the NHL’s first game of the 2020-21 season.

Flipping on his remote microphone typically reserved to explain holding or tripping penalties, Sutherland addressed the hockey-watching world.

“Gentlemen, we’ve all waited, with excitement for this day,” Sutherland boomed. “Welcome to the start of the NHL’s 2020-21 season. Best wishes to all of you. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Let’s have a great battle.”

The sentiment was unexpected but appreciated by Crosby.

“Kelly had just mentioned right before the faceoff that he was going to say a few words,” Crosby said via video conference with media Thursday. “He just let us know previous to that. It was a great way to kind of kick off the game.”

Sutherland’s opening statement was part of the unique context of playing a professional hockey game during a global pandemic.

While the Penguins’ 6-3 loss to the Flyers was viewed by an ample hockey-starved populace on television, it wasn’t seen by the naked eye beyond a handful of media and employees of Wells Fargo Center.

Much like the so-called “bubbles” — or quarantined zones in Toronto and Edmonton — in which the NHL staged its 2020 postseason tournament, most NHL arenas will be empty to start this season until coronavirus infection rates lower to a figure deemed acceptable for mass gatherings.

Having experienced bubble life in Toronto in August, the environment in Philadelphia was nothing foreign to the Penguins on Wednesday.

“It’s a pretty similar situation to what we had in Toronto,” forward Brandon Tanev said immediately after the game. “At the end of the day, we miss fans, but it’s our job to go out there and play the game. The cards are here on the table, and that’s what we’re dealt with. Everyone’s health and safety is the first priority. It’s on the players to go out there and do their job in different environments.”

Added defenseman John Marino: “Pretty similar. No fans. We had the same situation in the bubble. Guys are pretty used to it.”

While not oblivious to the unique surroundings, the players suggested they devote little attention to it while playing.

“Obviously, no fans but they had the (fake) crowd noise and all that, the (video board) and stuff going on,” forward Mark Jankowski said. “When you’re playing the game, you don’t really notice that stuff too much. You’re just out there grinding, competing. Maybe when you’re sitting on the bench and in between TV timeouts and whatnot, you kind of notice it. But when you’re out there and in the heat of the moment, you don’t really notice it, and you’re just playing the game.”

One difference that is hard to ignore comes from the bench. All coaches and team staffers are required to wear a mask. That introduces some difficulty in everything from explaining to a player how to execute a breakout to objecting to an official’s call.

“It’s a little bit of a struggle,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “It’s hard because the players have a hard time understanding (the coaches). And the referees as well. So I think the referees are probably the happiest guys of anybody on the rink because the coaches have to wear these masks. Maybe they can ignore some of our banter behind the bench. The referees in our league, they take a lot of heat from all the coaches around the league. So they’re probably the happiest guys that the coaches have to wear masks. But it is something that we’re going to have to learn to adjust (to).”

But even with the decorative panels covering seats in the lower bowl or the muffled shouts from the bench, Wednesday’s game provided a sense of regularity at a time when little seems to exist.

“Once the puck dropped, it felt somewhat normal, just as far as competing and that sort of thing,” Crosby said. “It’s a little different without the energy from the crowd and that sort of thing. But I think, for the most part, just playing in the opposing team’s arena was somewhat normal in that way.”

Follow the Penguins all season long.