Official: NHL training camps to open Oct. 15th

This just in, the NHL has officially announced that training camps for the 2020-21 season will officially open on October 15th, 2020... kinda.

In earnest, the NHL has a complicated and convoluted plan but what we do know is that teams will be permitted to open their training facilities for "voluntary training" on or after October 15th, so long as they receive official requests from five or more roster players.

Check it out:

NHL sent out offseason training safety protocols, including: "Clubs shall be required to open such facilities by seven (7) days after receiving notice from at least five (5) Players that they intend to use the facility for off-season training but in no event earlier than Oct 15.
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) September 24, 2020

Additionally, a maximum of 12 players will be allowed on the ice at a time.

Check it out:

The NHL just released the off-season training protocol. Clubs training facilities won’t open before October 15. To open the practice facility, a team needs to receive a notice from at least 5 players. Max of 12 persons on the ice at any one time.
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) September 24, 2020

There's still no official start date for the 2020-21 season, but the speculation is that the NHL will NOT be ready in time for the Dec. 1st date that they have been working toward. Instead, look for the 2020-21 season to start in the Holiday season with perhaps a January 1st, 2021 start date. In that case though... can we really call it the 2020-21 season? Wouldn't it just be the 2021 season? In any case, I'm all for dropping 2020 entirely... good riddance to bad rubbish in my opinion.

In any case, click the link below for full details from the NHL concerning the opening of team facilities in October:

NHL Announces Protocol for Off-Season Training. https://t.co/Vy2udrF6Dc pic.twitter.com/FpdGKAsZ2O
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) September 24, 2020