Pittsburgh Penguins

In-depth: What’ll athletes face in bubble? Experts on isolation worry

PITTSBURGH — Jane Poynter cannot advise Sidney Crosby on how to beat the Canadiens’ Carey Price top shelf or remain out of Tom Wilson’s crosshairs should the Penguins and Capitals meet again in the Stanley Cup  playoffs.

But Poynter, an aerospace executive who spent two years locked inside a hermetically sealed, three-acre bubble, is well schooled in the mental challenges awaiting Crosby and the Penguins this summer in a tournament that will isolate its participants to guard against the spread of COVID-19.

You can customize your WPXI News App to receive sports alerts. CLICK HERE to find out how.

Under normal circumstances, the veteran Penguins would be ready for any issue arising during a long playoff run. What they and other teams will encounter in terms of restricted access to families and the outside world, however, is unprecedented.

Three decades ago, Poynter and fellow scientific researchers faced numerous hardships working inside Biosphere 2, an artificial ecosystem in the Arizona desert. While she believes pro athletes can adapt to life behind the virtual walls of a makeshift village, an extended stay won’t be without social perils.

CLICK HERE to read more from DKPittsburghSports.com