League looking for places to play - Albany Times Union
Concerns about Canadian coronavirus restrictions could push hockey south of the 49th parallel into the U.S. this summer.
Seven of the 10 locations the NHL has zeroed in on to hold playoff games if it resumes are American cities not restricted by Canada's 14-day mandatory quarantine upon arrival. As 24 teams figure out how to squeeze an expanded roster and limited personnel into one of two "hub" cities, the Vancouver Canucks are even considering relocating training camp to the U.S. if the situation doesn't change in the coming weeks.
"It's something that we're thinking about, but also too we just want to give it a few more days just to see if something is going to change," Vancouver general manager Jim Benning said Wednesday. "The perfect scenario we'd like to use our facilities. We're probably going to have 30, 32 guys here and we have great facilities for our players, so we would like to do that first and foremost. But we've talked about moving it off site."
The Canucks are in the same boat as the NHL, which is in no rush to choose among the 10 finalists: Las Vegas, Columbus, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton. It will in the next few weeks select two or three to host Eastern and Western Conference brackets and then the Stanley Cup Final by factoring in government regulations, the frequency of COVID-19 in the community and availability of testing.
"We want to just be in a position to, in real time, have lots of options once we understand what the state of play is at the time we need to make the decision," commissioner Gary Bettman said. "We could pick one or two locations, but that might, if we made the decision today, not turn out to be as good a decision as one that we make three, four weeks from now because things are continuing to evolve in all of the places that we play."
The league told GMs on Tuesday to plan for a roster of 28 skaters and unlimited goaltenders for training camps that won't begin before early July and games without fans several weeks later. Each team will have a personnel cap of 50 in the city where games are played, and the wheels are turning even before facilities are reopened for voluntary workouts.
Before the NHL commits to where games could be held, officials are planning for multiple scenarios. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly is engaged in regular dialogue with the U.S. and Canadian governments and medical experts to determine what the health and safety landscape might look like this summer.
"That doesn't mean we get to look for any type of exception or any type of favoritism," said Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares, who's on the Return to Play committee. "I think we just want to continue to follow the guidelines that are set out for us and do the best that we can. Hopefully things improve to a point where those things could be possibly loosened up, not just for us but for all of society."
Because testing is lagging in Ontario and British Columbia's government isn't expected to make exceptions for the NHL, Edmonton could be Canada's best hope. Oilers GM Ken Holland said with an attached practice rink and hotel and nearby restaurants, "Edmonton checks off in my opinion all the boxes."
Except that Daly said Canada's 14-day quarantine would be a nonstarter. The NHL is already facing what Winnipeg forward Andrew Copp called a "time crunch" to fit in effectively five rounds of playoffs, and if the focus shifts solely on U.S. locations, Las Vegas and Columbus appear to be the front-runners.
1of8FILE - In this Feb. 24 2020, file photo, fans leave the Staples Center after a public memorial for former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, in Los Angeles. Staple Center is one of the possible locations the NHL has zeroed in on to host playoff games if it can return amid the coronavirus pandemic. The league will ultimately decide on two or three locations for games, with government regulations, testing and COVID-19 frequency among the factors for the decision that should be coming within the next three to four weeks. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File)Ringo H.W. Chiu2of8FILE - In this May 29, 2017, file photo, fans wait outside PPG Paints Arena for Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators, in Pittsburgh. PPG Paints Arena is one of the possible locations the NHL has zeroed in on to host playoff games if it can return amid the coronavirus pandemic. The league will ultimately decide on two or three locations for games, with government regulations, testing and COVID-19 frequency among the factors for the decision that should be coming within the next three to four weeks. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)Gene J. Puskar3of8FILE - In this Dec. 22, 2019, file photo, Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield reacts during an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Cleveland. The Browns quarterback said being away from football has given him time to reflect on his career and made him more determined to rebound from a tough second season in the NFL. Mayfield spoke Wednesday, May 27, 2020, on a Zoom call for the first time since the end of last season. (AP Photo/David Richard, File)David Richard4of8FILE - In this Dec. 8, 2019, file photo, Green Bay Packers' Aaron Jones reacts after his first down run during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins, in Green Bay, Wis. Jones says he wants to remain in Green Bay for his entire career and that he wona€™t let speculation about his future distract him as he enters the final season of his contract. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)Morry Gash5of8FILE - In this Sept. 22, 2005, file photo, hockey fans line up at the Nationwide Arena before the Columbus Blue Jackets host a preseason NHL hockey game against Detroit Red Wings in Columbus, Ohio. Nationwide Arena is one of the possible locations the NHL has zeroed in on to host playoff games if it can return amid the coronavirus pandemic. The league will ultimately decide on two or three locations for games, with government regulations, testing and COVID-19 frequency among the factors for the decision that should be coming within the next three to four weeks. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)KIICHIRO SATO6of8FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, people talk outside Rogers Place, the home ice of the NHL hockey club Edmonton Oilers, in Edmonton, Alberta. Rogers Place is one of the possible locations the NHL has zeroed in on to host playoff games if it can return amid the coronavirus pandemic. The league will ultimately decide on two or three locations for games, with government regulations, testing and COVID-19 frequency among the factors for the decision that should be coming within the next three to four weeks.(Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP, File)JASON FRANSON7of8FILE - In this Sept. 16, 2012, file photo, a cyclist rides past Rogers Arena, the home of the Vancouver Canucks NHL hockey team, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Rogers Arena is one of the possible locations the NHL has zeroed in on to host playoff games if it can return amid the coronavirus pandemic. The league will ultimately decide on two or three locations for games, with government regulations, testing and COVID-19 frequency among the factors for the decision that should be coming within the next three to four weeks. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press via AP, File)Darryl Dyck8of8FILE - In this June 8, 2015, file photo, hockey fans gather around former Chicago Blackhawk Jeremy Roenick outside the United Center before Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, in Chicago. The United Center is one of the possible locations the NHL has zeroed in on to host playoff games if it can return amid the coronavirus pandemic. The league will ultimately decide on two or three locations for games, with government regulations, testing and COVID-19 frequency among the factors for the decision that should be coming within the next three to four weeks. (John Starks/Daily Herald via AP, File)John Starks
Beyond the abundance of hotels and sparkling new rink the Las Vegas Strip can offer, the arena district in Columbus could serve as an effective bubble for the NHL.
"Whether it's from the building or the facilities surrounding the building to accommodate hotel rooms, meals — whatever it needs to be, we've covered it," Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen said. "Also the state of Ohio is in pretty good shape as far as flattening the curve and providing a safe environment that way. The transportation is easy if needed between facilities in Columbus, and we have a lot of rink facilities that we can use for the amount of teams that would be in the tournament."
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