The NHL is still aiming for a season start in mid-January, which seems even more optimistic after reading this article from NHL.com, where Gary Bettman reveals that they still aren’t sure if games will involve limited, in-divisional travel, or a bubble/hub city method, or a mix between the two:
So, for example, we have a couple of clubs that can’t hold training camp or conduct games even without fans in their current buildings and facilities, and we’re going to have to move them somewhere else to play. If enough teams can’t play, again, without fans, in their own facilities, then we may have to move more and more towards a hub. It may be that some teams are playing in other buildings. It may be that a whole group of teams have to play in other buildings.
While this is not quite as off the wall as, say, having a team in Southern California play a significant number of home games outside, imagining a season run with a mix of travel and bubble teams makes me want to mail all NHL admin staff bottles of their favorite adult beverage.
ICYMI
Winter T25U25: #20 Denis Malgin & #19 Dmitri Ovchinnikov - Pension Plan Puppets
Sunrise, sunset.
Stuff We Didn’t Write
GM Francis building toward inaugural Kraken season from afar | The Star
In one corner of the second floor at the Seattle Kraken’s future training centre sits the office of the general manager, complete with a view of the primary practice rink below.
Mitch Marner looking to aim higher when NHL returns | The Star
Mitch Marner looked at his game in the aftermath of the Maple Leafs' disappointing summer and came to a conclusion...
Wild sign goaltender Andrew Hammond - Hockey Wilderness
Minnesota is adding to its goaltending depth before the season starts.
NHL still unsure where they can actually play hockey games for 2020-21 season - Broad Street Hockey
Despite the hopeful Jan. 13 season start date closing in, there are still significant problems to figure out.
OPP officer charged with fraud after probe into Gretzky memorabilia theft | The Star
An Ontario police officer is facing fraud charges after an investigation into the theft of Wayne Gretzky memorabilia from the home of the hockey legen...
Mélodie Daoust joins TVA Sports - TVA Sports
TVA Sports ajoute une nouvelle analyste féminine à son équipe d’experts hockey.
Quebec, Manitoba officials think NHL could develop plan for safe return to play | The Star
Quebec's premier and Manitoba's top doctor are expressing optimism about a potential NHL plan to stage a 2020-21 season during the second wave of the ...
How would divisional realignment impact the Colorado Avalanche? - Mile High Hockey
With the Avalanche moving to the Pacific for a season, how will it impact the team’s season?
Some good NHL news: Flyers’ Oskar Lindblom is cancer-free! - Broad Street Hockey
A little a year after his diagnosis with a rare form of bone cancer, the Flyers’ forward is given a clean bill of health.
Take two minutes and watch this ad of Sarah Nurse, who I miss watching with my whole soul, talking about hockey:
