It’s official, the NHL returns August 1st as the league kicks off play-in round action under a 24-team format. What was widely speculated prior to Friday became canon when the NHL announced a full schedule for the tournament that features a potential 52 games in 9 days.
The #StanleyCup Qualifiers are going to be an exciting 10-day stretch of hockey. https://t.co/IErZJ2hifT pic.twitter.com/Ya2wwxuhSs
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 10, 2020
As someone who grew up a fan of the Boston Bruins, I still support the black and gold (sorry Pittsburgh we were here first), but my interest in the NHL has far surpassed that of just B’s games. I fully intend to sit down with an adult beverage of choice and consume hockey from 12:00 pm to 12:30 am as the league has staggered games at 2-hour intervals between Toronto and Edmonton.
This means full days of NHL action that have been so strongly desired by many of those among us, including myself, for quite literally months now.
The NHL Returns After Extended Hiatus
The NHL returns to play after a prolonged break that began back on March 12th when the league was forced to shut its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After months of conversations and negotiations between the NHL and the NHLPA in conjunction with medical professionals, the NHL officially announced Friday the ratification of a four-year CBA extension that not only made official the return-to-play plans but also includes Olympic participation in 2022 and 2026 for the Beijing and Milano Cortina games, pending a deal being reached with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Back to the Olympics
The NHL made clear in 2018 that it was not opposed to keeping its players from participating in the Olympics when it sidelined all active NHLers for the tournament in PyeongChang. It is speculated that after taking a massive hit in viewership in 2018, the IOC will be more willing to negotiate favorable terms with the NHL that seem to include better travel accommodations and insurance for its players.
This will hopefully be a huge win for fans that love rooting for their favorite home-grown NHL players as they battle it out for international prestige and recognition.
Undoubtedly, the NHL understands the importance of growing the game abroad as well, and while the league may act publically as though Olympic participation isn’t necessary for the growth of hockey, it is undeniable that the NHL has had a massive presence in China over the last few years.
From youth camps to NHL preseason games, the league has clearly shown interest in the Chinese market. To miss out on a massive opportunity to showcase the best talent hockey has to offer in China’s capital would be less than ideal for a league that is trying to broaden its reach into parts of the world where its influence could potentially spread like wildfire.
Counting the Days
NHL training camps open on July 13th, with players traveling to their designated hub cities (Western Conference to Edmonton, Eastern Conference to Toronto) on July 26th. There will also be exhibition games to be played before the official start of the play-in round as outlined by the league:
All the key dates from Training Camp to the 2020 NHL Draft. https://t.co/IErZJ2hifT pic.twitter.com/gRlxklXNml
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 10, 2020
The one-day pause (August 10th) between the end of the play-in round and the official start of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs will be used to conduct phase 2 of the NHL Draft Lottery.
We learned back on June 26th, during the first round of the lottery, that one of the eight teams eliminated from the play-in round will be the winner of the first-overall pick in the 2020 draft. Each team eliminated has an equal 12.5% of getting the pick, which will most likely be used to select Rimouski Océanic phenom Alexis Lafrenière.
Hockey fans finally have dates to add to their calendars as a whirlwind of action is set to begin in the dead of summer. It is unclear how COVID-19 will change the plans the league has written out as more and more players begin to converge on the hub cities, but the league has handled the outbreak well to this point, and the goal is to award the Stanley Cup by October 4th.
Any delays may set the NHL too far behind to be able to complete the season, but for now, we wait.
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