The Ditch part deux

The 2020-21 NHL season could start in mid-January and include a shortened schedule; temporary realignment with one of the divisions made up of the seven teams based in Canada; division games only; and games in home arenas, hubs or a combination, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday.

Nothing has been finalized and the NHL and NHL Players' Association continue to discuss a number of issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

"We are focused on starting at some point hopefully in mid-January," Commissioner Bettman said. "… It is clear that we will not be playing an 82-game schedule for the regular season, which we normally do, but we're going to try and play as many games as possible."

The NHL and the NHLPA are trying to adjust to government regulations at all levels, from restrictions at the Canada-United States border to restrictions on gatherings in different jurisdictions, and the coronavirus situation in each market.

"Right now, we're focused on whether or not we're going to play in our buildings and do some limited traveling or play in a bubble, and that's something we're working on and getting medical advice on," Commissioner Bettman said.

Commissioner Bettman said the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Dallas Stars carried a "huge burden" when they spent more than two months isolated from family and friends in the 2020 postseason, a 24-team tournament in Toronto and Edmonton. Teams entered the bubble July 26, and the Lightning defeated the Stars in the Stanley Cup Final on Sept. 28.

"We don't think we can conduct an entire regular season that way," Commissioner Bettman said. "But circumstances, depending on where COVID is spiking and where the medical system is being taxed at any given time, may require us to adjust.

"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.

"One of the things that we're doing for the regular season, as we're planning it, is we're going to just play within our divisions, so we're not going to play every team against everybody else in the course of a season."


NHL.com

 

There may not be a Canadian Division. Because of inconsistent provincial policies for how to manage the pandemic, all seven teams may be sent to U.S. cities. If this happens, all divisions would be realigned based on proximity. So, for example, if Orlando hosted a team, they'd play with TB and Florida. Austin, Houston, Milwaukee, and Kansas City are other possible host cities. Portland, OR, and Hartford might round it out.

This would be a massive logistical headache, so I think a 48 game season starting Feb. 1st would be optimistic. With no fans in the stands, I have to think they'd revisit the idea of having bubble host cities.

 

****BREAKING****

The NHL and NHLPA have a tentative agreement in place regarding the 2020-21 season. The deal still needs the approval of the Board of Governors and the full union membership. There is also the little detail of where the Canadian teams will play home games if something cannot be worked out with the provincial health authorities.

Some details of the tentative agreement (subject to change):

• No preseason games. Regular season schedule of 56 games.

• The league is still aiming for a Jan. 13 start date with training camps opening Dec. 31 for the seven teams that did not participate in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The remaining 24 teams will begin practices on Jan. 3.

• Rosters will be 23 players all fitting under the $81.5M salary cap ceiling. Teams will be allowed a 4-6 man taxi squad. Those extra players will be paid full AHL salaries and there will be flexibility for emergency recalls.

• Players will have the ability to opt-out like they had before the 2020 playoffs. Those teams could toll that players contract for a year.

• The NHLPA Executive Board was meeting Friday night to to discuss the deal, while the Board of Governors are expected to vote sometime this weekend.

• There remains the possibility of the seven Canadian teams, which were reportedly set to have their own division in a one-year realignment, playing their home games in the U.S. The league is still discussing COVID-19 protocols with provincial health authorities, which prefer the hub option rather than teams playing in their own buildings. That issue could be resolved by Monday, per TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.

 

• There remains the possibility of the seven Canadian teams, which were reportedly set to have their own division in a one-year realignment, playing their home games in the U.S


Will...........this really opens up a lot of Cities......Kansas...Houston...Portland.

We will see what happens as it goes to Vote......we should know on Monday ???

 

The BOG meets today.

The NHL’s board of governors is expected to meet at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon where it will vote on Friday’s agreement. Once that happens we should get a better understanding of the protocols that will be in place for the 2020-21 NHL season. Following that board of governors meeting, the league is also expected to meet with the general managers at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday to presumably inform them on what the season will look like. [Pierre LeBrun on Twitter]

 

With key meetings scheduled for Sunday, and details to iron out, dates and other details for the 2020-21 NHL season remain tentative. Keeping those crucial caveats in mind, a variety of reporters shared potential important dates for the 2020-21 NHL season, including a potential Jan. 13 start.

In particular, Canadian guidelines could create additional hurdles. Of course, broadly speaking, COVID can change even the best-laid plans.

But let’s look at how the 2020-21 NHL season might play out, according to various reports.

Update: The NHL confirmed some, but not all, of those dates when the league made the 56-game 2020-21 season plan official.

Tentative dates for 2020-21 NHL season, from start to free agency
Here’s a list of dates for the 2020-21 NHL season, via Pierre LeBrun, Cap Friendly, and others:

• Dec. 38, 2020: Waiver period begins.
• Dec. 31: Training camps for the seven teams that did not participate in the Qualifying Round.
• Jan. 3, 2021: Training camps begin for remaining 24 NHL teams.
• Jan. 13: Tentative start date for 2020-21 NHL regular season. No exhibition games.
• Feb. 1: Teams can ask players to waive no-movement clauses re: the 2021 Expansion Draft.
• April 12: Expected date for the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger, and others.
• May 8: End of 2020-21 NHL season.
• May 11: Beginning of 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
• July 15: Likely last day the 2021 Stanley Cup can be awarded. LeBrun estimates that it may be awarded closer to July 10, at least if this timeline holds.
• July 17: Deadline for NHL teams to submit expansion draft protection lists to the Seattle Kraken, TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports.
• July 21: 2021 NHL Expansion Draft for the Seattle Kraken.
• July 23-24: 2021 NHL Draft slated to take place.
• July 28: 2021 NHL Free Agency, which might be a frenzy.

NBC/NHL

 

NHL season to start Jan. 13, play 56 games in agreement with NHLPA
Will end May 8, with 16-team Stanley Cup Playoffs to follow; deal includes Canada division



The NHL and NHL Players' Association reached an agreement Sunday to play a 56-game regular season starting Jan. 13, 2021, and ending May 8.

"The National Hockey League looks forward to the opening of our 2020-21 season, especially since the Return to Play in 2019-20 was so successful in crowning a Stanley Cup champion," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "While we are well aware of the challenges ahead, as was the case last spring and summer, we are continuing to prioritize the health and safety of our participants and the communities in which we live and play. And, as was the case last spring and summer, I thank the NHLPA, particularly Executive Director Don Fehr, for working cooperatively with us to get our League back on the ice."

Formal training camps will begin Jan. 3. There will be no preseason games. The seven teams that did not participate in the 2019-20 Return to Play will be permitted to open their camps as early as Dec. 31.

The 2020-21 season has been delayed due to continuing concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

Under the agreement, the Stanley Cup Playoffs will feature 16 teams in a best-of-7, four-round format and conclude around mid-July with the plan of returning to a normal hockey calendar for the 2021-22 season (regular season beginning in October). The NHL and NHLPA will release the 2020-21 schedule for each team, health and safety protocols, transition rules and a calendar of critical dates in the coming days.

Games will be within realigned divisions only, including a division of the seven teams based in Canada. In reaching agreement on the format for the 2020-21 season, the NHL and NHLPA determined that the ongoing closure of the United States-Canada border required realignment and also sought to minimize travel as much as possible by shifting to exclusively intradivisional play.

Each team in the East, Central and West divisions will play every other team in its division eight times, and each team in the North Division (Canada teams) will play every other team in its division nine or 10 times.

The top four teams in each division will qualify for the playoffs. The first two rounds will be intradivisional, with the first-place team playing the fourth-place team and the second-place team facing the third-place team in the first round. The four teams that advance from the second round to the Semifinal Round will be seeded by their points total in the regular season (No. 1 vs. No. 4; No. 2 vs. No. 3).

The current plan is to play games in the home arenas of participating teams with the understanding that most arenas will not be able to host fans, at least in the initial part of the season. But depending on prevailing conditions, the NHL will be prepared to play games in one or more neutral venues per division should it become necessary.

The NHL and NHLPA have had to adjust to government regulations at all levels, from restrictions at the Canada-United States border to local limits on gatherings, and the coronavirus situation in each of the markets for the 31 NHL teams. The agreement includes health and safety protocols.

The last game of last season was played Sept. 28, when the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars 2-0 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

"The players are pleased to have finalized agreements for the upcoming season, which will be unique but also very exciting for the fans and players alike," Fehr said. "During these troubled times, we hope that NHL games will provide fans with some much needed entertainment as the players return to the ice."

NHL.com
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We have hockey!!!

 

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you all enjoy a happy and healthy day and then a victorious evening watching the US down the Russians (9:30 est).

 

Thanks for the reminder, dammmm, I forgot about that.

 

King Henry is scheduled to have open heart surgery.

 

Wow!!!

 

I understand the plan from Sweeney here but I think its a mistake not keeping Chara and using him in the 3rd pair and top pk unit.
team now lacks the ultimate cooler out there if the opposition acts up. you had the biggest guy in league history on your side to keep everyone honest, what are they gonna do now if someone runs Krejci or whoever. also having that length on the pk was absurd.
seems like a good fit in Washington, lots of vets. i'll bet Chara goes in and wows them at camp with something like 50 chinups or lifts a bunch of school busses or something.

 

I agree that this is a big mistake. It’s not like Chara needed to take a huge bite out of the cap. Every team can always find a way for $795,000 to fit.

After losing Krug, there’s a lot of experience exiting that locker room. It’s not the minutes/game that left the building. It’s those few minutes/season that you describe that mark Chara’s real value.

I’ve always liked McAvoy a lot. But if he spends time this year on IR then I think his team is in trouble.

 

good point on McAvoy, more pressure on the D core thats for sure

 

3 good World Juniors game today.......

Czech vs Austria........must win for Both teams

Canada vs Finland........this might be a Bran Burner and Finland goalie Joel Blomqvist (Penquins)....could be the difference.

Sweden vs USA............this is going to be a GREAT game ,Sweden lost to Russia in OT and they will be pumped.....Excellent Defense on Sweden.


..................HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS......Yahoo 2020 is over..................

 

Im hearing Canada is OK'ing training camps to open... k0ol!

 

Im hearing Canada is OK'ing training camps to open... k0ol!

Yes.......I believe they Open Jan 3rd ???

 

The Canadian government, citing “national interest grounds,” gave its approval Thursday for the start of NHL training camps. It issued an exemption to the mandatory 14-day quarantine period for NHL players and team staff to return to the country.

The five provinces with NHL franchises, however, must give their approval for games between Canadian teams during the regular season, which is scheduled to start Jan. 13. The seven Canadian teams will play in a separate realigned division.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said the league’s plan for the preseason offers “robust measures to mitigate the risk of importation and spread of COVID-19 in Canada.” All provinces with NHL clubs have provided written support for the plan.

The statement added that all teams must operate within provincial rules for regular-season play.

The five provinces with teams have not commented on the NHL since deputy commissioner Bill Daly said a week ago that the league believes it can play in all seven Canadian markets — Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver..

The Canadian teams will play only each other during the regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs. They won’t cross the U.S.-Canada border, which remains closed to nonessential travel.

The Ottawa Senators were one of seven clubs across the 31-team league to start training camp Thursday after not qualifying for the playoffs as part of the restart to the pandemic-halted 2019-20 season. The other six Canadian teams are to open training camp Sunday or Monday.

NHL/NBC

 

The Canadian government, citing “national interest grounds,”


Our National Sport takes the Prize.......there is only 3 sports in Canada......Hockey,Hockey,Hockey