Cale Makar is back at the Pepsi Center, which is what we all need right now

Guess who was back on Pepsi Center ice today? Cale Makar, that’s who.

If this picture isn’t a sight for sore eyes, nothing is. This is courtesy of the Avalanche’s Twitter feed:

Makar is part of the larger group of Avs players that are taking part in Phase 2 activities at the Pepsi Center. Teams can have up to 12 players on the ice – and coaches and management can watch from above. Regular training camp is still slated for July 10, although things are seeming to be a bit dicier right now, thanks to coronavirus spikes in a lot of places.

Nevada is seeing a spike, which could be one reason why the NHL is putting off until next week the naming of the two playoff hub cities. It was widely expected the league would announce the cities by today, but it’s been put off. Vancouver just lost out on being a hub city, and no doubt the NHL will keep an anxious eye on those Nevada case numbers in the next couple of days.

Other players who recently just joined the Avs for Phase 2 activities right now include: J.T. Compher, Sam Girard, Ryan Graves and Tyson Jost.

Here’s Jost from today:

Let’s hope those smiles on the faces of Avs players continue. I believe that Mikko Rantanen is making his way to Denver as I type this, too. It seems like the Avs are one of the teams with a lot of players taking part in this stuff right now. Some teams reportedly don’t have as many players taking part.

Judging by the looks at the faces of guys like Cale Makar and Jost, there is no hesitancy about playing hockey again, even in a global pandemic.