Grand Forks, North Dakota got the ball rolling and now there may no stopping the movement. Of every possible way for the NHL to continue its season, the idea with the most traction appears to be neutral site locations where teams could play multiple games free of fans and the accompanying risks of the Coronavirus. North Dakota was the first location mentioned, followed by Manchester, New Hampshire, but now Deputy Commisioner Bill Daly tells ESPN that cities from around North America have contacted the league to pitch themselves as a potential host. Daly specifically names Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in addition to Grand Forks and Manchester, but the list keeps growing:
We do have people putting together the comprehensive laundry list of what we would need from facilities and evaluating some facilities on some level. But I can’t tell you we’ve even finished creating a list [of potential sites], much less narrowed it down.
The NHL’s goal if at all possible is to complete the regular season and host a complete postseason in some form or fashion. The league has also stated that they will not shorten the 2020-21 season to accommodate the completion of the 2019-20 season, but that a condensed campaign could be a possibility should play resume and extend deep into the summer. These are just some of a number of questions still facing the league, as Daly notes:
It’s kind of a combination of things, like when we can start a regular season [in 2020-21] and how much time we need for an off-season, and then what does the playoff format look like… I would say that a best-of-one is not something we would ever go to. I’ve always had the caveat that everything is on the table and nothing is out of the question. I would say there would be a strong opposition to ever creating a playoff where it was a single elimination. I think best-of-three is more possible, not preferred, but more possible.
Before the NHL gets around to a playoff though, they seem determined to complete the regular season. With 25 of the league’s 31 markets currently unable to even open team facilities nevertheless host games, the neutral location concept seems to be the most realistic route at this point, though Daly makes it clear that there is still plenty of work to be done on the idea. Yet, at this point fans will cling to just about any hope they can of a return for hockey and a neutral site continuation of the regular season followed by some form of postseason would be very well received by all.
Will be great to see hockey when it is possible, whatever the location. Halifax might be another possibility?
Why not allow a limited number of fans into the arena? Spaced 6′ apart from each other, of course.
Games without fans would basically be a scrimmage for the players. At least allowing a limited number of fans in the rink would be helpful to the atmosphere.
They probably don’t want fans there because they want to hog the hockey all to themselves and laugh at fans mockingly who pay to attend games, or maybe cause of concern over the spread of corona virus…hard to tell really
If anyone is afraid of people being hundreds of feet away from them, then there is no place anyone can go and restarting the season would be foolish. Do you really believe that to be the case?
Hawks win! , Hawks win!, (Pat Foley-Chicago) He beat him like a rented mule( Mike Lang-Pittsburgh) He shoots and scores, etc, etc. Can’t wait til hear these iconic announcers calls again , don’t care if they play on the moon or Mars or the North Pole, Let’s get back to Hockey, albeit without fans. true hockey fans have radio , internet, and NHL Center Ice so they can watch all the games , Let’s play Hockey.
Nailed, it, G! :)
Great picks.
As a Pens fan, I think Mike Lange is the best. But, man, Pat Foley is a closer than expected second. He’s great.
@forwhomjoshbelltolls – I relish getting to hear The Hall-of-Famer, The Old Two-Niner, Josh, Metz & Steigy (Army & Rupper, too) on 105.9. They definitely need to replace the person on board-ops/programming, since they are incessantly screwing up the interweb stream on iHeart by running multiple audio tracks simultaneously and interrupting live coverage at times. Many’s the night I have to switch over to WISR to finish out a game. They should consult with the people at 970 WFLA for the ‘Bolts. No screw-ups, ever. Same with 720 WGN in Chi-town.