News Article: NHL to announce a 2 hub 24 team playoff, Edmonton & Toronto?

[x Tame Impala]

Yeah, with 2-3 games per day in each rink and time needed to clear teams in and out, plus account for possible OT, you're probably looking at Noon, 3, 6, & 9 CT starts.

Could be an amazing 4 weeks of up to 4 games per day if they do it right.

I’m so f***ing excited for this! Just sit and watch hockey all day long. I’ve maybe done that 2-3 times in the last 10 years since I work nights and weekends. It’ll be so awesome to watch all that hockey.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

I’m so f***ing excited for this! Just sit and watch hockey all day long. I’ve maybe done that 2-3 times in the last 10 years since I work nights and weekends. It’ll be so awesome to watch all that hockey.

It's going to be pretty wild. Plus baseball to watch on top of it.

And then when the 2nd rounds ends hopefully football will be starting right around then.

 

[BobbyJet]

Edmonton is said to have the best ice in the NHL, so there's that. We should see some fast PO hockey.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

I think this was a good call. They have a way better chance of minimizing players getting sick North of the border.

 

[Hawkaholic]

Edmonton is said to have the best ice in the NHL, so there's that. We should see some fast PO hockey.

Could be different when playing in August, as oppossed to Oct -> April. But I'm sure it won't be worse than Toronto.

 

[ChiHawks10]

I think this was a good call. They have a way better chance of minimizing players getting sick North of the border.

With the way this country is going, it's a no f***ing brainer.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I could be wrong, but aren't they flipping conferences/hubs so that nobody has home ice advantage (as in not having as intrinsic advantage of experience when it comes to boards/environment)? So wouldn't the West be in Toronto and the East in Edmonton?

 

[RayP]

I could be wrong, but aren't they flipping conferences/hubs so that nobody has home ice advantage (as in not having as intrinsic advantage of experience when it comes to boards/environment)? So wouldn't the West be in Toronto and the East in Edmonton?

Kind of stupid because if they do early games then people on the west coast will get shafted trying to watch their own team.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Kind of stupid because if they do early games then people on the west coast will get shafted trying to watch their own team.

That wouldn't be an issue, it's not like physical location of the games will determine broadcast times. Everyone would supposedly be in a bubble, so they'd just be operating a few hours earlier or later as if they moved for a few months and all on the same time schedules with all the people in their relievent bubbles.

 

[RayP]

That wouldn't be an issue, it's not like physical location of the games will determine broadcast times. Everyone would supposedly be in a bubble, so they'd just be operating a few hours earlier or later as if they moved for a few months and all on the same time schedules with all the people in thir relievent bubbles.

If Toronto has to figure out how to play 2-3 games in a day.... they’re going to have to play a game or two prior to let’s say even 7pm local time. If it’s a 3pm starts someone on the west coast that wants to watch gets screwed.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

If Toronto has to figure out how to play 2-3 games in a day.... they’re going to have to play a game or two prior to let’s say even 7pm local time. If it’s a 3pm starts someone on the west coast that wants to watch gets screwed.

The same issue would be the case if they played in their home hubs. The NHL bubble in Toronto would just pretend they're on mountain time and the NHL bubble in Edmonton would just pretend that they're on eastern time, and stagger games accordingly to have triple headers that roughly fit regular air times in the respective home markets. It doesn't really matter in this circumstance if games played in Edmonton are started several hours earlier than games in Toronto.

 

[RayP]

The same issue would be the case if they played in their home hubs. The NHL bubble in Toronto would just pretend they're on mountain time and the NHL bubble in Edmonton would just pretend that they're on eastern time, and stagger games accordingly to have triple headers that roughly fit regular air times in the respective home markets. It doesn't really matter in this circumstance if games played in Edmonton are started several hours earlier than games in Toronto.

We’ll see but I don’t see them hosting games in Toronto but acting as if they’re in a different time zone. Can’t see that happening at all.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

They scrapped the idea of flipping spots, West will be Edmonton.

 

[BobbyJet]

 

[x Tame Impala]

27 more days!

 

[BobbyJet]

Dam, another set-back:
Report: Blues cancel practices due to 'multiple' positive COVID-19 tests - Sportsnet.ca

 

[RayP]

Dam, another set-back:
Report: Blues cancel practices due to 'multiple' positive COVID-19 tests - Sportsnet.ca

This playoff idea is just never gonna work. Wish I were wrong but I can’t see how it actually happens.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

This playoff idea is just never gonna work. Wish I were wrong but I can’t see how it actually happens.

Yeah we're all getting excited about sports coming back but I don't see how the NHL is going to get through 5 rounds of playoffs and MLB is going to get through a 60 game season....especially with the way this country is handling things.....too much covid going around.

 

[hawksrule]

This playoff idea is just never gonna work. Wish I were wrong but I can’t see how it actually happens.

What's unclear is the threshold of positive tests that the nhl will be willing to live with. If one player on a team tests positive as the games start, they'll probably quarantine the player and move on. If four or six players on a team test positive, then what?

 

[RayP]

What's unclear is the threshold of positive tests that the nhl will be willing to live with. If one player on a team tests positive as the games start, they'll probably quarantine the player and move on. If four or six players on a team test positive, then what?

So say a player does test positive but he already played a game. Do you then quarantine both teams and delay everything for a few days since everyone was exposed? I just don’t see how this practically works with players still testing positive.

 

[hawksrule]

So say a player does test positive but he already played a game. Do you then quarantine both teams and delay everything for a few days since everyone was exposed? I just don’t see how this practically works with players still testing positive.

It's a good question. Their approach seems to be flying by the seat of their pants.

 

[RayP]

It's a good question. Their approach seems to be playing by the seat of their pants.

Yeah the fact they haven’t announced any plans makes me think they play for a week, two at the most, and this whole idea gets canned.


Hopefully that doesn’t bone our lottery chances.

 

[Hattrick Kane]

Yeah the fact they haven’t announced any plans makes me think they play for a week, two at the most, and this whole idea gets canned.


Hopefully that doesn’t bone our lottery chances.

This is by far the most damning thing. We were supposed to have details on this whole playoff at least three weeks ago.

Now the NHL is having to sweat it out as COVID only gets worse in the States. They can come out and say they’re confident all they want, but confidence isn’t saying that plans can still change.

 

[BobbyJet]

This is by far the most damning thing. We were supposed to have details on this whole playoff at least three weeks ago.

Now the NHL is having to sweat it out as COVID only gets worse in the States. They can come out and say they’re confident all they want, but confidence isn’t saying that plans can still change.

If I were Bettman I would get teams to the hub cities sooner. Put the players in a bubble and have the training camps in Canada.

 

[Malagahawks]

Entire breakdown of playing protocols here in this Twitter thread: