Vancouver/Toronto/New York (with files from Sportsnet) An NHL season is a go. COVID style.
The NHL’s Board of Governors has approved the agreement between the league and NHLPA for a 56-game 2020-21 season.
The regular season will begin on January 13 and conclude on May 8. The Stanley Cup Playoffs will feature 16 teams in the traditional best-of-seven, four-round format and wrap up around mid-July. The plan is to return to a “normal” hockey calendar for the 2021-22 season.
Training camps begin on January 3, but teams that did not qualify for the 2020 post-season will be permitted to begin activities on December 31. No pre-season games will be held.
Now here is the catch …
The NHL is going with a division realignment that includes a seven-team Canadian division, which still requires approval from local health officials for the games to be held north of the border.
That could be a problem for the Vancouver Canucks. BC has some of the toughest Travel and gathering rules going.
North: Ottawa-Montreal-Toronto-Winnipeg-Edmonton-Calgary-Vancouver
East: Boston-Buffalo-New Jersey-NY Islanders-NY Rangers-Philadelphia-Pittsburgh-Washington
Central: Carolina-Chicago-Columbus-Detroit-Florida-Dallas-Nashville-Tampa Bay
West: Anaheim-Arizona-Colorado-Minnesota-Los Angeles-Las Vegas-San Jose-St. Louis
