What it’s like attending an NHL hockey game during the pandemic
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, sports was one of the first things to shut down. After a several-month pause, the NHL playoffs began in July and the league retreated to a Canadian bubble. For a vast majority of the 2020-21 regular season, games were played in front of no fans. But things are finally beginning to open up again.
As someone who grew up having season tickets for the majority of my life, not attending a single hockey game for over a year was strange. Thankfully, being in New York for school gave me the opportunity to attend a Capitals game at the Nassau Coliseum against the New York Islanders on April 1. Back in March, the Islanders were allowed to fill the arena to 10 percent capacity (approximately 1,300 fans) for games. Due to the limited amount of space, the Islanders gave their season ticket holders first access to the games.
The only way for non-season ticket holders to get tickets is from resale which is causing ticket prices to escalate. As of right now, tickets for the upper levels of the arena are going for around $300 per ticket.
Getting to attend a game was exciting, but I was curious how different the experience would be and how safe I would feel with the COVID-19 protocols they have in place. So I recorded down my experience at Nassau Coliseum so fans who return to Capital One Arena for Tuesday’s Capitals game will have an idea what things will be like.
By Eliza Kravitz 1 day ago
