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

Golden_Jet

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Daly also said points percentage is likely the fairest way for a draft, even though all teams might not think so.
 
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Bostonzamboni

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I wonder if Phoenix could be a site. I don't think it's been hit as badly as many other U.S. areas? Plus, MLB is considering it, so couldn't it be a solution for the NHL? Players would definitely approve.

Plus, could they also use the Phoenix Suns' arena, thus permitting even more games daily -- even though there hasn't been ice in ages to back when the Coyotes played there? And those infamous obstructed view seats won't even be an issue anymore, as none or few fans will likely be allowed.
 

LadyStanley

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Summer temperatures could be expensive to keep ice and keep folks inside with A/C.

(Same situation with Las Vegas. City may be on track for earliest calendar 100+ degree day in history next week)
 
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TheLegend

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Summer temperatures could be expensive to keep ice and keep folks inside with A/C.

(Same situation with Las Vegas. City may be on track for earliest calendar 100+ degree day in history next week)

Depends on the arena's design and how modern the cooling plant is. All NHL arenas have to maintain a specific temperature within the building that's monitored regularly, once the ice is down. TMobile and GRA have HVAC systems that were designed to work optimally in their respective climates. GRA has foyers at all entry points with doors on both ends and I would imagine TMobile has the same. Those foyers provide some thermal buffering making easier to keep the cooler air in.

Same goes for Chase Field (MLB Diamondbacks)..... it can be in the mid-90's outside and inside stays at a comfortable low to mid 70's...... even with the roof open (since colder air is denser and stays within the stadium)




I wonder if Phoenix could be a site. I don't think it's been hit as badly as many other U.S. areas? Plus, MLB is considering it, so couldn't it be a solution for the NHL? Players would definitely approve.

Plus, could they also use the Phoenix Suns' arena, thus permitting even more games daily -- even though there hasn't been ice in ages to back when the Coyotes played there? And those infamous obstructed view seats won't even be an issue anymore, as none or few fans will likely be allowed.

We're still seeing a rise of cases in AZ. Testing has been in the bottom five for all states so the numbers are deceiving so YMMV.

TSRA is currently being remodeled. So it's not even available. The WNBA Mercury are scheduled to play this coming season out of the MVMC (which was the Suns' original arena). The IFL Rattlers were going to play out of GRA.

There are other facilities in Arizona with the capability to host a game though. Besides GRA, the TCC in Tucson (where the AHL Roadrunners play), and Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott (home of the former ECHL Sundogs). So if the league wasn't concerned about having fans in attendance there's plenty of options here.
 

None Shall Pass

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Summer temperatures could be expensive to keep ice and keep folks inside with A/C.

(Same situation with Las Vegas. City may be on track for earliest calendar 100+ degree day in history next week)

I remember reading an article earlier in the pandemic planning process about that. Apparently it's less of a worry than we'd all imagine because there's no ambient heat from all the spectators (Assuming no fans for these games).
 

MNNumbers

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It's interesting that they are thinking of trying to complete the regular season as well. The push must come from NBC contracts, I would guess. But, at the same time, there are enough regular season games left to make it worthwhile for the players of the teams who are out of contention to come back and get into shape.

A little calendar work:
If a training camp can start on May 15, then games can start on June 1. The most games any one team has remaining is 14. Play every other day, and it's done in a month. So, about June 29. There are many logistical complications to this, not the least of which is that there are still a few interconference games left on the schedule. So, if the games are played in Edmonton, St Paul and 2 eastern cities, then there will have to be flights back and forth between them all. You could still have some awkward back-to-back situations there.
There are 189 games left to be played. One idea was 3 games per day in each rink. I don't think that's entirely possible for reasons having to do with which games are on everyone's schedule. But, let's say they can average 2 games a day in each rink. That's 8 games a day. Or, 24 days to finish the regular season schedule. Ending June 25....
Playoffs start June 27. This is much easier done, since the entire first 2 rounds will all be played in the same rink. No scheduling conflicts, and you can do every other day for everyone. 4 rounds takes at the most 60 days (including a single day pause between rounds so no one an advantageous back to back). Done August 24 or so. You could bump that up by skipping long rest days between rounds....eg, if Central Division first round series are finished in 6 games, round 2 starts 2 days early. Probably you can be done mid-August. Give the players a month break, and training camp for 20-21 starts mid-September?

That allows a full 4/7 games for all series, which, again, is ideal for NBC (at least in NHL's eyes).

If you shorten the series, then NHL has to give NBC a credit on next year, which they probably don't want to do.
 

LadyStanley

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Depends on the arena's design and how modern the cooling plant is. All NHL arenas have to maintain a specific temperature within the building that's monitored regularly, once the ice is down. TMobile and GRA have HVAC systems that were designed to work optimally in their respective climates. GRA has foyers at all entry points with doors on both ends and I would imagine TMobile has the same. Those foyers provide some thermal buffering making easier to keep the cooler air in.
...
There are other facilities in Arizona with the capability to host a game though. Besides GRA, the TCC in Tucson (where the AHL Roadrunners play), and Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott (home of the former ECHL Sundogs). So if the league wasn't concerned about having fans in attendance there's plenty of options here.

TMobile does have the double doors at main people entry points. Not sure about loading dock. (Suite/VIP entry kinda does. But those doors usually remain open as folks are entering.)

I doubt TCC has the sightlines the NHL wants. Also, Bettman stressed in his interview with Maclean, it's the 4 NHL-caliber dressing rooms and other "back of house" amenities they need (which necessitated SD and NH to be removed from potential playing sites).

It's interesting that they are thinking of trying to complete the regular season as well. The push must come from NBC contracts, I would guess. But, at the same time, there are enough regular season games left to make it worthwhile for the players of the teams who are out of contention to come back and get into shape.

A little calendar work:
If a training camp can start on May 15, then games can start on June 1.

NBC has a few RS games remaining. It's also Center Ice, NHL.tv that have 15% of RS they'd have to refund their customers if not played. And RSNs/teams have their obligations to sponsors and contracts. (Bettman stressed in his interview with Maclean that the national TV revenue is mainly in the playoffs.)

I cannot see a (training camp redux) start before June 1, especially as the US-Canada border is closed for "another 30 days" (until end of May) for non-essential travel, not to mention the international restrictions that haven't been lifted yet.

Logistically... You have guys "playing out the season" (team not going to make playoffs) who may leave their families at "home". While others may want/need to bring their entire family to where they are going to be (I've seen a profile on one single-dad player, may not have been NHL; definitely need to take that into consideration when putting things together).

I can imagine 4+ charter flights from each of various countries going directly to the "divisional" venues. And all players/folks being screened/tested before the flight to ensure they are healthy (if you had a plane of 100% healthy people, you conceivably could fill it to capacity).

(As for starting next season... Many of the guys travel back to their NHL city in time for school start as they have school age kids. Some start as soon as early August. The latest seem to be in September, around normal the time of training camp start. So that's another concern.)




And there are 10 in contention, not four.
 

TheLegend

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TMobile does have the double doors at main people entry points. Not sure about loading dock. (Suite/VIP entry kinda does. But those doors usually remain open as folks are entering.)

I doubt TCC has the sightlines the NHL wants. Also, Bettman stressed in his interview with Maclean, it's the 4 NHL-caliber dressing rooms and other "back of house" amenities they need (which necessitated SD and NH to be removed from potential playing sites).

I watched the interview. The four locker rooms is on the pretense they play three games a day in one facility. So that one pair of room can be wiped down while the other two are in use. Cut it to two games per day with a 2-3 hour gap in between and you don't need the extra two rooms. With three facilities within AZ there a potential to host 6 games per day without 4 locker rooms.

TCC has three locker rooms (U of A has their own in addition to the regular home/away rooms). Plus a brand new full ice system was installed this past summer.

Sight lines aren't going to be a problem if they continue to get the regular season in with no spectators.
 

IcemanTBI

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Logistically... You have guys "playing out the season" (team not going to make playoffs) who may leave their families at "home". While others may want/need to bring their entire family to where they are going to be (I've seen a profile on one single-dad player, may not have been NHL; definitely need to take that into consideration when putting things together).

Well said. The idea of finishing the regular season is asinine due to the fact you just pointed out. Start the playoffs with a Wild Card "play in" round between the two existing Wild Card teams and the two "bubble teams" below the wild card spots. This can be done by a 4 team round robin for each conference. Top two teams of the round robin get the wild card spots. There is NO NEED to have any other teams than that.
 
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IcemanTBI

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Further to what I pointed out, this is the best case scenario for completing this years season:

September 1, mini training camp for all 20 teams in the playoffs (including the two bubble teams). Two weeks should be good.

Septemeber 15: Wild Card "Play In" round begins. 4 team round robin. each team plays each other once. This will take, at most, 10 days to settle.

October 1: Main playoffs begin: Playoffs take usually just over 2 months to complete. Playoffs stay the same, best of 7 for all 4 rounds.

Beginning of December: Stanley Cup awarded. Beginning of offseeason (free agency, etc.) Offseason lasts 1 and half months.

January 15th, 2021: Beginning of training camps for 2021 season. Two week training camps for each team.

February 1, 2021: Beginning of shortened regular season, same length as lockout season of 2013. Cup gets awarded in June, as per usual. Then it all goes back to normal.

This is the BEST case scenario, in my opinion. There will be no hockey until at LEAST September.
 
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gstommylee

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Further to what I pointed out, this is the best case scenario for completing this years season:

September 1, mini training camp for all 20 teams in the playoffs (including the two bubble teams). Two weeks should be good.

Septemeber 15: Wild Card "Play In" round begins. 4 team round robin. each team plays each other once. This will take, at most, 10 days to settle.

October 1: Main playoffs begin: Playoffs take usually just over 2 months to complete. Playoffs stay the same, best of 7 for all 4 rounds.

Beginning of December: Stanley Cup awarded. Beginning of offseeason (free agency, etc.) Offseason lasts 1 and half months.

January 15th, 2021: Beginning of training camps for 2021 season. Two week training camps for each team.

February 1, 2021: Beginning of shortened regular season, same length as lockout season of 2013. Cup gets awarded in June, as per usual. Then it all goes back to normal.

This is the BEST case scenario, in my opinion. There will be no hockey until at LEAST September.

Eh i don't think the NHL would wait that long.
 

mouser

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Further to what I pointed out, this is the best case scenario for completing this years season:

September 1, mini training camp for all 20 teams in the playoffs (including the two bubble teams). Two weeks should be good.

Septemeber 15: Wild Card "Play In" round begins. 4 team round robin. each team plays each other once. This will take, at most, 10 days to settle.

October 1: Main playoffs begin: Playoffs take usually just over 2 months to complete. Playoffs stay the same, best of 7 for all 4 rounds.

Beginning of December: Stanley Cup awarded. Beginning of offseeason (free agency, etc.) Offseason lasts 1 and half months.

January 15th, 2021: Beginning of training camps for 2021 season. Two week training camps for each team.

February 1, 2021: Beginning of shortened regular season, same length as lockout season of 2013. Cup gets awarded in June, as per usual. Then it all goes back to normal.

This is the BEST case scenario, in my opinion. There will be no hockey until at LEAST September.

That's more like a worst case scenario short of canceling the remainder of the season entirely.
 

tarheelhockey

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I'm down with having things converge on my own town, but I don't entirely get the point of doing it in division-centric cities. It's not like the fans can come watch. If the game is in Raleigh or Honolulu, makes no difference to me from the standpoint that I'm watching on TV either way.

Bettman's quotes from the article:

“We can’t play in a small college rink in the middle of a smaller community, because if we’re going to be centralized, we need the back of the house that NHL arenas provide, whether it’s multiple locker rooms, whether it’s the technology, the procedures, the boards and glass, the video replay, the broadcasting facilities."

“Maybe it’ll be two cities. It’s not something that we can predict right at this moment. But this is part of the contingencies. It doesn’t necessarily have to be by division, although the centralization may be by division."

“But the particular location could be anywhere that isn’t a hot spot and has what we need both in terms of the arena and having practice facilities, because if you bring in seven or eight clubs to a particular facility and you’re playing lots of games on a regular basis without travel, there does need to be ice for practice.”

"[The remote draft concept] was a trial balloon,” Bettman said. “No decision has been made. And I said as we were getting some feedback, ‘We don’t live in a world of perfect anymore. We’re going to have to make adjustments.’ ”

“Ideally from our standpoint — and it would resolve a lot of issues — would be if we could complete the regular season, even if it’s on a centralized basis, and then go into the (Stanley Cup playoffs) the way we normally play them. That would be ideal. But that’s, again, one of the numerous models we’re looking at, and if we can’t do ideal, if we can’t do perfect, we’re going to have to figure out what’s next to perfect.”
 

crobro

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Vancouver has a real good chance of being chosen As A Divisional Hub.

Rogers Arena
Pacific Coliseum
Abbotsford/Langley/Kelowna
UBC arena
Save on Foods arena Victoria BC
 

AdmiralsFan24

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Vancouver has a real good chance of being chosen As A Divisional Hub.

Rogers Arena
Pacific Coliseum
Abbotsford/Langley/Kelowna
UBC arena
Save on Foods arena Victoria BC

Kelowna and Victoria are just non-starters imo. Abbotsford and Langley are pushing it.
 

Super Cake

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So what happens if a team like Boston had like 3 of their most important players get tested positive for COV19. It will be like a too bad too sad situation?

Yes, i know injuries happen, but this is a different situation we are dealing with here.
 
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LadyStanley

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A committee. Hmmm


4 months of sequestration and separation from family? And that's just to finish out this season.
 
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TheTotalPackage

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1. The Toronto hot spot suggestion seems ridiculous considering what’s going on here still.

2. That Daly comment about one or multiple tests not necessarily shutting things down seems downright ignorant. Look how quick the NBA shut things down just as tip-off was about to happen. To not only continue playing, but having even more teams exposed confined to one area — these suggestions are getting silly at this point.
 
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