NHL will delay next season in order to finish 2019-20 season

In case you missed it yesterday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was on CNN with Anderson Cooper discussing the possibility of resuming the 2019-20 season.

“We’re on pause as we have been since March 12,” Bettman said. “We’re exploring all options, but when we’ll have an opportunity to return depends on things that we have absolutely no control over because it all starts with everybody’s health and wellbeing. Until there’s a sense that people can get together, not just in our arenas but for our players to get together to work out, we don’t know when we can come back but it’s something we’re monitoring on a daily basis.”

Bettman would go on to say that the league isn’t ruling out any possibilities for resuming the 2019-20 season including playing games at neutral sites or altering the schedule of the 2020-21 season.

“As much as we may worry about everybody — not just our players or the NHL family — but everybody safe from the coronavirus, we also want to make sure our players don’t jeopardize their health by coming back too soon and not being in game shape,” he said.

Just last month though, deputy commissioner Bill Daly was adamant that the 2020-21 season would NOT be affected. That seems to have changed, at least according to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun.

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A reminder that the NHL is willing to delay the start of next season until November in order to finish off this season if possible with summer hockey. NHL believes they can play a full season next year starting in November, cancel ASG/bye week, play playoffs into late June ’21

You know what? Just go ahead and cancel the All-Star Game break already. What are we waiting for? Even if the season starts on time, chances are the players will be exhausted if they’re forced to play a compressed playoffs this summer.

In related news, the league has officially extended its “self isolation” quarantine period for players and staff until April 30th.

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This is the third time that the league has extended its mandated self isolation period, first quarantining players until March 27th, then April 4th, then April 15th and now April 30th.