Report: NHL hopes to return in Aug, will play games in empty arenas

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly have remained cautiously optimistic when discussing the possibility of resuming the 2019-20 in public.  The fact is, the league officials have no clue if and when they’ll be allowed to resume their season, but they’re holding out hope.

What we do know is that the NHL has officially asked its teams to provide arena availability dates deep into August, hoping that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is over by then. Now, a report from the CBC in Canada seems to indicate that the league is indeed planning a return for August, but will play to empty buildings across North America.

In an article titled ”NHL considering August return without fans" the CBC asserts that hockey fans will indeed see a Stanley Cup champion crowned in 2020. The thing is... the article seemingly contains no new information and no sources to support its claims. However given that the CBC are a broadcast partner of the NHL it may very well be that they are the source for this information. At this time no one has any idea what the logistics of this would look like but it seems that one thing is clear, there will be no fans in attendance for these games.
  

 Over the weekend we reported on comments made by Sportsnet’s NHL insider Elliotte Friedman regarding a potential return to action in a remote location, one that would not be in an NHL city and one that would feature no fans. That city? Grand Forks, North Datoka.

From Friedman:

*Several sites would be necessary, but Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D., makes sense. Host of the 2005 World Junior Championships, the 2016 World Under-18s and the NCAA’s Fighting Hawks, it is an impressive facility that is definitely more suitable than many other available non-NHL options in the United States.*

*Obviously, nothing is imminent. Hotel availability in Grand Forks would be a challenge. We also don’t know about travel scenarios, necessary logistics, or if the state itself would be willing to host such an event. But the area makes sense because of the arena, the likelihood of games being played without fans and North Dakota’s relatively low population density (only Montana, Wyoming and Alaska have fewer people per square mile).*

*It is expected that the NHL and NHLPA will discuss other locales this week. It’s never wrong to explore your options, regardless of what eventually happens.*