#Just making do with weed gummies and teammate handjobs I guess

[thornescratch]

Sex and drugs On the drug front, the items of choice were cannabis gummies. "The only thing that you really saw advertised was guys that were into their gummies or edibles. And that was usually just used in their rooms," one Eastern Conference player said. As with drinking, things seemed to be in moderation in the bubble. "Weed gummies were there, drinking was there, but I think when it came down to it, people were trying to perform the best they can," a Western Conference veteran said. "I don't think guys were drinking to party -- certainly not in excess. When guys were taking weed gummies, it wasn't a 'Let's get high as s--- and do nothing all day.' It was more of a recovery sense or to fall asleep after a game. Instead of falling asleep at 4 or 5 a.m., guys could fall asleep at 1 a.m. so they could get seven hours of sleep." One thing that was very much not in excess in the bubble, if it existed at all: sex. "There was some chatter before it started about guys trying to leave the bubble or sneaking girls in. There was none of that going on. Guys were pretty mature. Ultimately, you didn't want to be the guy that f---s this up, to be the one that ends up getting everyone COVID," one Eastern Conference veteran said. "Everybody is getting tested every day. So I think guys were almost too scared that something might happen, and then they get caught. Everyone knew what floors every team was on. If someone was going to a certain floor, it was pretty easy to figure out what team they were associating themselves with." Proximity to the enemy Although the NHL can feel small and friendly, the dynamics shifted with everyone jammed in one enclosed space. With one restaurant, one gym and plenty of shared elevator time, there were some awkward interactions. "If something happened in a game and you see the guy in the hotel, you're like, 'F--- off, buddy,'" an Eastern Conference veteran said. "Now, you're not going to say anything in the elevator, but you both know. But whether you were a fourth-line plug or you're running the power play, you were there trying to play hockey and finish this. You were trying to make it as legitimate as you could. So while there was [tension], there was also a sense of, 'Hey, guys, let's make the best of it.'" Added an Eastern Conference player: "It was hard because during a playoff series, I want to rip these guy's f---ing heads off on the ice. I don't want to have to mingle with them the next day. So that created some interesting moments. Lots of averted eye contact, to be honest." In fact, of all the unprecedented weirdness of bubble life, one Eastern Conference veteran said that the awkward cohabitation with rival teams in the same hotel was by far the weirdest part. "The weird thing was just seeing guys on other teams. Even if they had a couple of hotels where they limited it, it was just weird. Even if you saw a buddy on another team that you're friends with, it's like, 'Do I say hi to him? Do I not say hi to him?'" he said.

I really appreciate this article confirming that that one, Michael Russo is full of shit, and two, Hotel X was as awkward as we hoped for.