NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said he expects Canada’s NHL teams to be able to play home games this season.
“Based on our discussions [with provincial health authorities] over the past week, as well as our correspondence over the past 24 hours, we believe we are aligned and agreed on the terms on which each of our Canadian franchises can begin playing in their own premises before the start of the 2020-21 NHL season, ” Daly said in a statement Thursday.
The NHL season kicks off on January 13 after the league and the NHL Players’ Association signed a deal on Sunday for a 56-game season, including playoffs that last until July, to award the Stanley Cup.
The season will be highly unusual in at least one respect: there will be four divisions – North, South, East and West – and all play will take place within these divisions during the first two rounds of the playoffs for travel and potential. for the corona virus to disrupt the season.
The North Division only includes the seven Canadian teams: Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg. Those teams would not have to cross the US-Canada border, which will remain closed for non-essential travel until at least January 21.
The league offers the possibility to play games in neutral locations if necessary. The final details of where the Canadian teams will play are pending until agreements are reached with federal and provincial health officials.
The NHL finished in bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta last season, with players, coaches, and staff isolated from the general public and virus tested daily.
In terms of divisions, Boston, Buffalo, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington and both New York teams are to the east; Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Nashville, and Tampa Bay are downtown; and Arizona, Anaheim, Colorado, Los Angeles, Minnesota, St. Louis, San Jose, and Vegas are to the west.
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.