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A board of governors call to dissect options
for resuming the season is scheduled for Monday.
There are several issues with the NHL resuming the season. There
are more than three weeks of regular-season games remaining on
the schedule and players were allowed to return to their home
markets -- including international locations -- from which
return flights to the United States could be severely
challenging without clearance from medical experts.
Commissioner Gary Bettman and other NHL officials participated
in a conference call with President Donald Trump over the
weekend, where optimism about clearance for sports to resume in
August was detailed. But NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said
the league would defer to medical professionals when determining
where and when it's safe to resume hockey.
The NHL asked teams to provide stadium availability into the
summer months when the regular season was paused.
ESPN reported on Monday that the NHL's primary return-to-play
plan focuses on some models "that involve games being played in
arenas without fans."
ESPN NHL reporter Greg Wyshynski said Monday that the league is
considering "regional" playoff sites rather than the option of
holding the playoffs in a single city or facility. He reported
games would be staggered throughout the day from afternoon to
late night, similar to the Olympics hockey schedule.
That approach has been mentioned in connection with the NBA
returning for the playoffs, with locations such as the Bahamas
and Las Vegas reportedly on the table.
--Field Level Media
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