Division-centric sites for season resumption - reported to be Edmonton and Toronto

[Golden_Jet]

Agreed. The "home" team was never going to have a true home-ice advantage. No fans would be in attendance, and they'd have to be quarantined in hotels just like players from all the other teams. Having teams in the east play in an eastern city and teams in the west play in a western city is the simplest way to go about this.

they are probably worried about players in their home cities trying to sneak a way to see their family.

 

[Shockmaster]

they are probably worried about players in their home cities trying to sneak a way to see their family.

And being in a different city won't prevent that as the families could just travel to them and they could still sneak out to meet with them.

 

[Golden_Jet]

And being in a different city won't prevent that as the families could just travel to them and they could still sneak out to meet with them.

True for families in the US, in Canada need to quarantine if one leaves a province.

 

[LadyStanley]

YMMV. From news I heard yesterday, Canada (federal) is leaving quarantine decisions (including two week "entry") to the provincial government.

And if you have a recent "negative" test, no symptoms, may not have to go through quarantine as well.

 

[TheLegend]

 

[LadyStanley]

Paywall?

LeBrun summarizes where things are. Return to play all tied up with CBA extension, etc.

Plan might be to freeze cap st $81.5m for a few years and fix max escrow at 20% for at least 2 years, with some deferred salary, and hope that economic recovery, new TV deal help get NHL out of financial quagmire.

Some players may want to opt out, due to not feeling they can play safe. Would have financial impact.

Players want to know what life in the bubble would be like.

Unclear whether final vote will be NHLPA excom (31 players) or entire membership ~800).

 

[LadyStanley]

Both PT. But games can be played to accommodate ET at either venue.

(And either Vegas or Vancouver would be playing in home rink)

 

[gstommylee]

Paywall?

LeBrun summarizes where things are. Return to play all tied up with CBA extension, etc.

Plan might be to freeze cap st $81.5m for a few years and fix max escrow at 20% for at least 2 years, with some deferred salary, and hope that economic recovery, new TV deal help get NHL out of financial quagmire.

Some players may want to opt out, due to not feeling they can play safe. Would have financial impact.

Players want to know what life in the bubble would be like.

Unclear whether final vote will be NHLPA excom (31 players) or entire membership ~800).

Wonder how much adjustment do the 30 teams need to make to be ready for Seattle's draft if the cap is going to be at 81.5m for a while.

 

[LadyStanley]

But no specifics

 

[LadyStanley]

Edmonton pushing as hub



Paywall

 

[LadyStanley]

CBA alert

 

[LadyStanley]

More deets

 

[LadyStanley]

More.

 

[mouser]

Per the Columbus Dispatch the city is out of the running for hosting games.

Columbus will not be hub city for NHL return

 

[93LEAFS]

How they seem to have locked into Vegas as a location given the lack of arenas, the weather likey destroying ice quality with the amount of usage it will see and the now spiking cases seems ridiculous.

 

[mouser]

How they seem to have locked into Vegas as a location given the lack of arenas, the weather likey destroying ice quality with the amount of usage it will see and the now spiking cases seems ridiculous.

As others have noted, ice quality probably isn't as big of a challenge when you don't have 15,000+ people packed into an arena, plus all the entering/exiting exchanging outside air.

 

[Fenway]

How they seem to have locked into Vegas as a location given the lack of arenas, the weather likey destroying ice quality with the amount of usage it will see and the now spiking cases seems ridiculous.

I'm not sure Vegas is as locked in as people think - The surprise is Chicago is still in the mix.

Could we see a curveball where out of nowhere Manhattan or Boston suddenly pops up as an alternative given things have calmed down in the Northeast? Manhattan's biggest issue is lack of practice rinks but that is not an issue in Boston with all the nearby college rinks and the Bruins practice rink.

I think you could see Edmonton hosting the East and Toronto the West and that solves the hometeam issue and then decide on a SCF location later.

The spike of cases in parts of the US has to be unsettling for the NHL and Canada's border is about as secure as you can get in the 21st Century.

The exchange rate also works in Canada's favor right now.

 

[93LEAFS]

I'm not sure Vegas is as locked in as people think - The surprise is Chicago is still in the mix.

Could we see a curveball where out of nowhere Manhattan or Boston suddenly pops up as an alternative given things have calmed down in the Northeast? Manhattan's biggest issue is lack of practice rinks but that is not an issue in Boston with all the nearby college rinks and the Bruins practice rink.

I think you could see Edmonton hosting the East and Toronto the West and that solves the hometeam issue and then decide on a SCF location later.

The spike of cases in parts of the US has to be unsettling for the NHL and Canada's border is about as secure as you can get in the 21st Century.

The exchange rate also works in Canada's favor right now.

Yeah, I'm surprised at how locked in the NHL is on using an NHL arena for all the games. Cities like Boston, Toronto, and MTL always made the most sense in my eyes due to Toronto having about 4 OHL (Sauga, Oshawa, Barrie, and Hamilton_and an AHL rink) that are equipped for filming/broadcasting within an hour plus a plethora of practice rinks. MTL and Boston have similar things due to the QMJHL and College Hockey teams nearby. All are large enough cities likely to have the hotel space to accommodate it. I get Vegas for the large hotels and the supposed "bubble" but this idea of complete isolation sounds impossible. I watch a bit of boxing, and I know Top Rank has created a bubble in Vegas, yet the trainer for their main event last Thursday had one of the competitor's trainer test positive for Covid-19 calling off the fight. Toronto isn't perfect pandemic-wise, but it sure as hell is better than Nevada and most large American cities.

I honestly don't really care where they play. I have no civic pride in Toronto being able to host, just looking at logistically, those are the 3 cities that first came to mind.

I also believe it might make more sense to split the conferences into 2 groups, so one hub city has half of each conference, which would allow competiting 7:30 edt games 10:30 pdt in the earlier rounds. Otherwise its going to further pro-long trying to keep this together, unless they are going to have western teams paying some games at 4:30 their time, and some eastern teams starting games at 10:30 theres.

 

[Fenway]

Yeah, I'm surprised at how locked in the NHL is on using an NHL arena for all the games.

Simple - Every NHL arena is wired so every single camera for any feed goes to the situation room in Toronto so the infrastructure is in place.

I have seen it happen a zillion times where a goal is allowed/disallowed in Boston and NESN does not see a definitive replay but the visiting team has it but viewers in Boston don't see the replay until the situation room posts the video and no broadcaster has access to the NHL owned blue line cameras on offside calls.

 

[LadyStanley]

Columbus, Minneapolis/St. Paul ruled out as NHL hub cities - ProHockeyTalk | NBC Sports

MSP also out.


I'm hearing that families may be able to join players in bubble AFTER round robin play. That is definitely something the guys would be happier with.


As for Vegas, I think Vdara (MGM owned) may be the bubble hotel.

Real easy to restrict access. Off Strip. Behind Cosmopolitan, across Harmon from Aria. (Think I15 and Harmon)

 

[Fenway]

Columbus, Minneapolis/St. Paul ruled out as NHL hub cities - ProHockeyTalk | NBC Sports

MSP also out.


I'm hearing that families may be able to join players in bubble AFTER round robin play. That is definitely something the guys would be happier with.


As for Vegas, I think Vdara (MGM owned) may be the bubble hotel.

Real easy to restrict access. Off Strip. Behind Cosmopolitan, across Harmon from Aria. (Think I15 and Harmon)

@LadyStanley NBC was told over a week ago that the Eastern pod would most likely be in Las Vegas but that was subject to change.

Bill Daly is doing all the work on this and he with Gary's blessing will make the recommendation. NBC will provide the production at one pod and Sportsnet the other and the US RSN's in the first 2 rounds will get the 'global' feed and be allowed one reporter on site that will beam back via cellular broadband. Play by Play will be done remotely at all levels off a monitor - not ideal but livable.

The NHL will be responsible for game presentation at each venue and now plan to pipe in the 'home' teams DJ, organist, anthem singer and PA announcer via fiber from their respective arenas back home.

My gut feeling is the NHL will use 2 Canadian cities until the SCF simply because Canada as a county is more secure than the US right now and offers the best chance of finishing the season.

I worked for NBC for the Belmont in New York last Saturday and the reality is one of the most famous horse races in the world felt like Race 3 at Finger Lakes at the venue.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

I'm not sure Vegas is as locked in as people think - The surprise is Chicago is still in the mix.

Could we see a curveball where out of nowhere Manhattan or Boston suddenly pops up as an alternative given things have calmed down in the Northeast? Manhattan's biggest issue is lack of practice rinks but that is not an issue in Boston with all the nearby college rinks and the Bruins practice rink.

I think you could see Edmonton hosting the East and Toronto the West and that solves the hometeam issue and then decide on a SCF location later.

The spike of cases in parts of the US has to be unsettling for the NHL and Canada's border is about as secure as you can get in the 21st Century.

The exchange rate also works in Canada's favor right now.

I saw a mention yesterday, I believe it was from Friedman, that Chicago is a backup at best, and they don't like it because the hotels are too far from the UC and the practice rink (which is blocks from the UC) and they want to keep the bubble smaller.

Given that, I think Boston would be too spread out as well with TD and Warrior almost 6 miles apart, so I don't see it jumping in out of nowhere.

 

[TheLegend]

 

[LadyStanley]

Hmmmm

 

[LadyStanley]

Tuesday update