With training camps set to open shortly, the idea of live hockey is beginning to seem like more of a reality. While the players still must officially vote to approve the return to play plans, the NHL is all but ready to start the action on August 1st. With details of the qualifying round rules, round robin games for top seeds, and the subsequent playoff structure all hammered out, there are very few questions remaining. Thanks to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, one of those unanswered questions is also no more: how so many games will be played in so short a time in just two locations.
According to McKenzie, the plan is to play three games a day at each of the hub locations, Toronto and Edmonton, for a total of six game. This will include both qualifying round games and round robin seeding games. These games will be held at the same times – 12pm, 4pm, and 8pm – but offset by the two-hour time difference local time. On the east coast, this means games will be on at noon, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm, 8pm, and 10pm, while on the west coast things will get started a little earlier with games at 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, and 7pm. As McKenzie points out, the possibility of extended overtimes in the qualifying round games could complicate this scheduling, but the league hopes to mitigate these risks by playing round robin games, which have regular season OT rules, during the 4pm slots to counteract early games that ran late and ensure prime time games start on time (or at least close to it).
At first glance, the amount of hockey that could be on display later this summer is exciting for fans who have been without the game for close to four months now. There will certainly be logistical issues with the scheduling of games and extended overtimes, but fans should be flexible with their schedules given the affect that COVID-19 has had on typical summer plans. This should also extend to days games, with many people around North America still working from home and able to watch games that typically they might find themselves in the office during. While the Pacific time zone definitely received the worst deal in terms of the daily schedules, it is worth noting that only the Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights call that time zone home among 2020 playoff teams, while 75% of the field resides in the Eastern or Central time zones.
Hypothetically, this scheduling plan through the qualifying round and round robin games, a minimum of 44 games and maximum of 68 games, should mean that those series are over and the standard playoff structure is set in no more than 12 days. It may not be pretty cramming so much action into such a short time frame, but if the league sticks to six games a day they will be able to commence with the standard postseason by August 13. This should allow them to complete the postseason, award the Stanley Cup, and even host the 2020 NHL Draft before November 1, which has been proposed as the opening of free agency for the 2020-21 season.
Why are they not playing at Ricoh and the Leafs practice facility? The ice will be shit after the second game.
This is why, absent other concerns, NY, Toronto or LA made the most sense.
Toronto has two NHL rinks between the current and old one. NY has 3 including the Devils rink. LA has Staples and Honda.
Did they bulldoze Northlands?
The ice in Brooklyn is the worst ice in the NHL. And the Devils play in Newark-not close.
California is a hot spot for the virus.
The new rink in Edmonton apparently has 3+ practice rinks adjacent and Northlands is still up and operational. Plus Rogers place has a state of the art Hotel attached to it that can host all the teams without stepping foot outdoors at all. And UoA can probably house NHL practices. Then Calgary is only 2 hours away and Medicine Hat is in between and they both can house teams and practices or games in Calgary’s case.
Then add to the fact that the province of Alberta likely has less cases a week than Toronto, NYC, or NJ in a day.
Provided they have enough health experts ready for it, Alberta should be one of the first choices.
Prudential Center is 9 miles from MSG.
I would hope Alberta has less cases than those three metropolis’, they have a fraction of their populations too.
I still don’t know why the league didn’t use the Ralph Englestad arena in North Dakota as at least an early round hub rink. Very safe from covid, great rink and if they’re not allowing fans to attend, what difference does the city they’re playing in matter?
So thats 2 arena’s. Edmonton can offer that many as well plus others for both cities.
Then add player safety. Edmonton can host all the teams adjacent to the arena without the need for players to go outside at all. Edmonton has had 1175 total confirmed cases compared to NYC’s 220K+.
Had to laugh at the sentence regarding people working from home having plenty of time to watch the games. “Damnit, you haven’t made a sale in two weeks now, what the heck is going on?”. :D
Wonder what NHL Center Ice will do for the games…continue to honor this season or ask for more $$ to be able to watch. Haven’t heard much on TV rights for the restart.
I imagine they go to whomever holds playoff broadcasting rights in the US. NBC i believe. In Canada it will be hockey all day on Sportsnet.
Imagine you’re right on both accounts.