He is currently a little proud in Canada. “We have values ​​that the whole world admires. Our democracy works and even though we are not perfect, we do a good job on racism and discrimination, ”said Toronto Mayor John Tory recently. And then of course there is the coronavirus epidemic, which affects Canada far less than its larger neighbor in the United States.

This is another reason why National Hockey League (NHL) Commissioner Gary Bettman said a few days ago that it was “no coincidence” that the NHL is starting its season in the two Canadian cities of Toronto and Advanson. It resumes on Saturday, including the Edmonton Oilers’ game (9 p.m., live at Sport 1) against the Chicago Blackhawks with Germany’s best ice hockey player Leon Drysettle.

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“We are all happy that we can play ice hockey again. Accordingly, we are doing very well. It was a strange time for everyone, “the 24-year-old Cologne said in an interview with” Sportbuzzer. “Four and a half months after the last game, the NHL actually continues the season. Spectacles won’t be allowed in two ice rinks , Players live in a bubble – as in most professional sporting events currently.

As in US basketball or MLB baseball leagues, a lot of money is at stake, and this is one of the reasons. Television contracts are to be met and sponsors are to be attracted a bit. Nevertheless, the 2019/20 season will end, even if the players take part of their salary. However, due to the widespread hygiene and safety concept alone, there are also costs that were never planned. For this reason alone, the option for Canada as a venue for the rest of the season of the season is not a bad one, because the Canadian dollar is bad enough in relation to the US dollar, the NHL will save one or two million.

So far, the concept of Bateman and the League has been working. In the final test by players and club staff, there was not a single positive Kovid-19 result. The NHL has been warned, however, that anything similar to baseball or Major League Soccer (MLS), where entire teams were to stop playing at least temporarily, should be avoided as much as possible. So that only the game is reported and the background noise does not disturb the perception.

Leon Drassitel can be voted the best NHL player of the season

Whereby: As far as background noise is concerned, the league is creative and works with a computer game producer who brings fan cheers to the hall. As is well known, this is not particularly loud in North American arenas, which is why there will be corresponding goal signs for each team and LED screens behind the players’ benches.

And then there is the game too. Out of the original 31 teams, 24 of the best will resume play and start with the play-offs. The eight best teams are given preference for the first round and are allowed to warm up for the highest position on the first seeding list.

For the rest, however, things get serious. Just like for Leon Derrisital’s Edmonton Oils. They just missed one of the top ranks in the Western Conference and are therefore starting a series against Chicago. You need three wins here to reach the next round.

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So it will be important for the German to get back into shape quickly. If Drisitel dominates Trump equally before the break when he was the leading scorer in the league, then much is possible for Edmonton. He said, ‘Now every team has a chance to win the Stanley Cup. In the end we want to be that team too. ‘

Should the Oilers really win the title, it probably won’t stop there. But Dresitel could be voted the best player in the league, regardless of the course ahead of the season. He will be the first German to follow in the footsteps of basketball player Dirk Nowitzki. For him it would be “a great honor to be seen by the media or by anyone”, he told the German press agency.

And by the way, that would probably make Canadians already a little prouder in their professional home: after all, they have been waiting for Stanley Cup champions from Canada for 27 years in the ice hockey homeland.