NHL has set the start date for qualifying rounds.

We have a date.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 3 years ago
NHL has set the start date for qualifying rounds.

The National Hockey League is not back, not quite yet anyways, but it sounds like fans will not have to wait all that much longer to get their hockey fix. 

The NHL's general managers are currently discussing a number of issues around the league and as you might imagine the return of the current NHL season is at the very top of that list. It seems some work has been done in that regard however because now National Hockey League insider Larry Brooks of the New York Post is reporting that the NHL season now has an official start date. On Saturday morning Brooks reported that sources informed the Post of the timeline for training camps, exhibition games and the start of the qualifying rounds, all of this stemming from the aforementioned meetings.

From Brooks:

From NHL GM's meeting, Post has learned that training camp is set for two weeks, with teams traveling to respective hub city on July 23 or 24 before playing one exhibition game. The Stanley Cup tournament that begins with qualifying rounds is scheduled to begin on July 30.

It looks like this means that the NHL will be sticking with the start date of July 10th for training camps which comes as somewhat of a surprise to me. There have been a rampant number of positive tests for COVID-19 involving NHL players and personnel over the last few days with Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews even being outed publicly as one of the players infected by the deadly virus. In the case of the Tampa Bay Lightning that organization was forced to shut down its training facilities entirely after a number of their players tested positive, something that many took as a sign that the league simply was not ready to reopen in spite of the fact that the number of COVID-19 cases are decreasing across North America. 

I am sympathetic to the NHL and its players here however, they are a business after all and both parties stand to lose millions upon millions of dollars as a result of this current shutdown. I'm excited for the return of NHL hockey and I am hopeful that the league and the players will manage to bring the game back in a safe and exciting manner.


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