NHL considering August return with no fans

Though there are still many unknowns at this point, the NHL is considering an August return for playoff games to finish the 2019-20 season. The unfortunate thing about this is that it involves the players playing in empty buildings due to the ongoing concerns of COVID-19.

There is a scheduled call for the board of governors to discuss further options for resuming the season later today. Of course, there are many problems and risks for the NHL to consider before deciding to resume play. One major problem is that many players have returned to their home countries, and would have a tough time being able to get a flight back to the United States / Canada.

Gary Bettman, the Commissioner of the NHL, had a conference call with United States President Donald Trump this past weekend, where the tone of sports returning wasn't overly optimistic. Despite this, the league says they would defer to medical professionals when determining whether or not they will resume the season.

ESPN reporter Greg Wyshynski said today that the league is talking about ‘regional' playoff sites rather than hosting the playoffs in a single city / arena. The report also suggests teams would play games throughout the day, similar to the Olympics hockey schedule. Of course, this report too suggested that these games would likely be played without fans in the building.

There are still other options being considered as well. These are unprecedented times and it is extremely tough for league officials to come up with a decision. Today's meeting may answer some more questions, but there likely still won't be a confirmed plan for some time yet as we all wait to see how the Coronavirus pans out.

Source: National Post

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