NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly wants to get in a full season, an uninterrupted season, for '20-21GETTY IMAGES
The NHL has yet to determine a drop-dead date that would preclude the completion of the '19-20 season, though NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly noted the league has an "idea of the relevant time periods" it is dealing with. Speaking to Toronto's CJCL-AM on Friday, Daly said, "I can't tell you what that date is. Obviously with the Summer Olympics having been moved at minimum for a year to 2021 does present an opportunity for us that might not otherwise have presented itself previously to play late summer." He reiterated that the NHL wants to "get in a full season, an uninterrupted season, for '20-21." Daly: "We have an idea in mind as to how late that season can start, and then we can work back" (“Tim & Sid,” CJCL-AM, 4/10).
AVAILABLE OPTIONS: Daly confirmed that cities and venues across North America "have reached out to the NHL to pitch themselves as potential hosts for neutral-site playoff games." ESPN.com’s Kaplan & Wyshynski reported Grand Forks, North Dakota; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan are among the cities rumored to be interested. However, Daly said that the league "hasn't even 'created the field yet' in determining which sites would work" (ESPN.com, 4/10). In St. Paul, Dane Mizutani noted playing in North Dakota is the "longest of long shots in terms of actually happening," but the fact that it is "being talked about as an option has piqued the interest of some players" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 4/11).
MORE TO BE DONE: In N.Y., Larry Brooks cited sources as saying that there have been no talks yet between the NHL and the NHLPA "regarding specific systems issues that would have to be addressed if the season is resumed." Brooks reported those talks "have taken place within each party’s own constituency." Daly in an email wrote, "We haven't had any discussions at the micro-level yet. All our discussions have been at the macro, 30,000-foot level. We certainly have had internal discussions on [these] issues, but I wouldn’t share before discussing with the PA" (N.Y. POST, 4/12).
LOOKING AT THE VARIABLES: In Boston, Chad Finn noted Bruins TV announcer Jack Edwards "believes that the season will not resume." Edwards said that he has "many friends who work in medicine," and conversations with them "quickly made him realize that the season probably was over." Edwards: "The more you talk to people who are in the hot spots or close to the hot spots, the more you realize how vicious and unpredictable this virus is, because of the contagion factor before you start showing symptoms. I quickly got pessimistic about the resumption of the season." He added that it would be "foolhardy for the NHL to try to cram in the playoffs during the summer, for logistical reasons, but also for the sake of the players' health" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/12).
