The Canucks' Rogers Place is believed to be a potential host site for NHL games upon returnGETTY IMAGES
British Columbia Premier John Horgan said he believes his province is "in a good place" to host the NHL -- serving either as a hub city or allowing the league to play all of its games in the province, according to Shannon Coulter of SPORTSNET.ca. Hogan said he spoke with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on Tuesday about "our desire in British Columbia to support" the NHL and the Canucks during the coronavirus pandemic. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and British Columbia Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture Lisa Beare, who is "responsible for sport in the province, were also included on the conference call." Horgan said, "The Canucks have been working very cooperatively with my minister; we've heard from others around the league that have other ideas about perhaps having all of the games played in British Columbia." Along with Rogers Place, Horgan "implied that multiple WHL facilities across the province could potentially serve as host sites for NHL games" (SPORTSNET.ca, 5/13).
LEADER OF THE PACK? Oilers Entertainment Group Senior VP/Communications Tim Shipton said of Edmonton being a potential host city for NHL games, "There's lots of momentum. ... All the teams that are interested have now submitted bids. We are ahead of where other jurisdictions are at vis-a-vis health protocols." Shipton added, "We have a working framework with the government. We're going back and forth on it. It lays out the process to get a sign off." In Edmonton, Terry Jones noted back when the NHL hub city idea "first went into the gate, Edmonton was considered to be the odds-on favourite." There is "no reason to believe that has changed but there's no doubt there's been no lack of teams at the entry box." Nobody "seems to be sure on what the timeline is on this but expectations in a couple of markets appear that they're expecting some final questioning from the NHL this week with a decision to follow" (EDMONTON SUN, 5/13).
OHIO MAKES ITS CASE: In Columbus, Brian Hedger notes putting multiple NHL teams in four cities around the country has been discussed "enough among the league's Return to Play Committee members that numerous teams have already made sales pitches for their cities to be one of the four," and that list "includes Columbus." Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen said, "We have everything to offer as far as what's required, from safety to facilities to all things you may imagine are needed for that kind of situation. We have all considerations necessary." Hedger notes a few hurdles "would likely need to be cleared," but Kekalainen's assessment "appears spot-on." From Ohio's "somewhat moderate number of coronavirus infections to two large arenas, numerous practice rinks and the downtown location of several higher-end hotels, Columbus can make a strong argument for being a 'hub' city" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 5/14).
GREY AREA: In Vancouver, Ed Willes writes "we know the NHL is pushing hard to resume its paused season," but "beyond that, we don't know a thing." Willes: "We don't know about testing. We don't know what will happen if there's a positive test when play resumes. We don't know if it will be a different game. We don't know if players will be forced to wear full face shields." Maybe it is "time for the NHL to get back to work," but fans would "just feel better about it if [the league] could provide some answers to all those questions" (Vancouver PROVINCE, 5/14).
