Players make one important demand for the return of NHL action

We still have no clue if or when the National Hockey League will get the green light to resume the 2019-20 season, however, players won’t budge on one crucial detail they need in place before returning to action. 

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman acknowledged on Monday that players will need time to get back to game shape before play resumes. 

Players have made it clear and it sounds like Bettman will allow them this important demand. 

“We’ve had discussions with our players and the players’ association and as much as you may try to stay in shape with a home gym, our guys haven’t been on the ice for a month and they’re going to need two-to-three weeks to get back into playing shape,” Bettman said in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. 

“So as much as we may worry about keeping everybody… safe from the coronavirus, we also want to make sure that our players don’t jeopardize their health by coming back too soon and not being in game shape.”

The NHL are constantly studying a number of options for a potential resumption of the current season, including playing games at neutral sites. The league is said to be willing to delay the 2020-21 season’s commencement until November if the current campaign can resume during the summer. 

The NHL season was suspended on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and players and team employees have been told to stay home. Some players keep active, but none of them have been back on the ice since the shut down has been put in place.