Report: four teams looking at outdoor games in the upcoming season

What do you do when you aren't allowed to have any, or possibly not very many, fans at your arena? Take the hockey game outside, of course. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, at least four NHL teams are considering doing just that in the 2020-21 season.

In his report, Friedman states Anaheim, Boston, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh are all exploring the possibility of holding home games at outdoor locations if they are not allowed to have fans at their arenas. The Kings are looking at Dignity Health Sports Park, a few minutes' drive from Staples Centre. At some point, wrote Friedman, the Kings informed the Ducks of the idea, and Anaheim was considering making this a joint venture. Boston is exploring the idea of Fenway Park. The Penguins have looked into both Heinz Field and PNC Park, while the Anaheim location is not yet known.

Friedman believes the idea is a long shot, but it's tough to fault teams for at least exploring the option if it can help bring in some extra revenue. The outdoor locations would have much larger seating capacities than hockey arenas and would allow for thousands of fans even with physical distancing.

One issue, according to Friedman, would be the players. He wrote that a survey completed by all 31 teams showed little desire on the players' part to be switching from outdoor to indoor arenas all season long. Perhaps their minds could be changed if the added gate revenue meant not giving up any or as much of their salary as the NHL is hoping.

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