Stars' Bowness: Living in bubble is 'mentally tough'

Fresh off the Dallas Stars' comeback victory to seal the club's 4-2 series win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night, head coach Rick Bowness noted how emotionally difficult these playoffs have been - and not just for his squad, but every team in the bubble.

"I don't think people understand how hard it is to live in this bubble," Bowness said postgame, according to The Athletic's Sean Shapiro. "I'm just telling the people that this isn't as easy as you think it is."

Bowness' Stars have been in Edmonton - one of the NHL's two bubble cities - for nearly a month. For players and personnel, that's 27 days and counting without seeing family, friends, and loved ones (families are expected to be able to join the bubble in the conference finals).

As much as Bowness appreciates the work the NHL has done to create a safe environment, he outlined how spending an extended amount of time in a confined area can be mentally taxing.

"I can only speak for myself," he said. "I've gone a couple of days where I haven't even gone outside. Because the way we're set up here, the hotel is connected to the rink, so you walk from the hotel through the tunnel, get to the rink, then you go back into your room. You've really got to make a concerted effort just to get outside and get some fresh air."

The opportunities to get outside aren't the same either, and in bubble life, it can be difficult to avoid encountering your opponents.

"It's not like we're walking out to a park. We're going to a courtyard and there's three other teams sitting there," Bowness said. "You go to the gym and you're working out with the people that you're playing against that night. That's what it is. So everyone deserves a lot of credit for making the best of it. ... But people think living in a bubble is great. It's tough. It's mentally tough, and everyone's making the best of it."

The Stars have a day off before beginning their Round 2 series with the Colorado Avalanche, so Bowness is planning a mandatory team trip Friday to Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton - home of the city's CFL team.

"We need to get everyone out of the hotel. We need a mental break, so tomorrow is a day, it's mandatory, everyone has to be there," Bowness told NHL.com's Mike Heika. "We're going to get on buses, we're going to get out of the hotel, we're going to go to the football stadium. They have frisbees and soccer and baseball. Just to get outside and get some sun and get some fresh air and change the routine."