It’s the third period of a one-goal game late in the 2019-20 season with a playoff spot at stake. The trailing team pulls the goalie. The coach calls a timeout. He starts drawing up a play and prepping six skaters to send over the boards. He glances down the bench to see the other team’s coach, craning his neck toward him, hanging on every word.
The arena is dead silent. It’s empty, with no fans. There’s no music playing. And, in a crucial part of this contest, the opposing team can hear every sentence uttered during this timeout.