For the last couple of weeks, January 13th has been the date the NHL has been using for the start of the 2020-21 season. However, while speaking during a video conference Wednesday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman seemed very cautious about mentioning any specific date at all.
"We are focused on starting at some point hopefully in mid-January," 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."
That statement seems much less committal than those made by the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner in recent weeks. Bettman would also not confirm whether teams will be playing at their home arenas once the season starts.
"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," he said.
"We don't think we can conduct an entire regular season that way," Bettman said, referring to playing in bubbles. "But circumstances, depending on where COVID[-19] 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," Bettman continued. These teams include San Jose, L.A. and Anaheim at the moment due to restrictions in California. More may be added.
"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."
Bettman said the NHL is doing all it can to make sure it follows the proper restrictions and guidelines that are in place for every region that contains an NHL team.
"We understand what is vitally important to each community and to the health and welfare of each community, and we don't want to do anything that would interfere with that. But everything that we're doing and working on with the Players' Association starts with keeping the players and the communities in which we play safe and healthy."
Source: NHL.com
