Recently completed two-month format in hub cities will not happen again next seasonGETTY IMAGES
The NHL "must now modify" the approach it took for its successful season restart as part of a blueprint for the '20-21 season, and details like "rotational bubbles, a full or condensed schedule and December-January starting dates are up for discussion," according to sources cited by Mark Zwolinski of the TORONTO STAR. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman "began canvassing teams during the playoffs, gaining information on each team's abilities to host modified bubble situations once the season opens." While neither the league nor the NHLPA "have set any hard targets, it is believed a potential deadline for an 82-game season would be Dec. 15." But other potential scenarios "see the league opening Jan. 1 and wrapping up by July 1." A July 1 finish "would also accommodate NBC, the prime carrier in the United States." The net is "scheduled to broadcast the Tokyo Olympics next July." While NHLPA Exec Dir Don Fehr said that the recently completed two-month bubble "will not happen again, it appears some form of hybrid bubble must be created in order to play a full schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic." The league also must "consider the return of fans and what arenas are best suited to host them" (TORONTO STAR, 10/1).
ATTENDANCE A MAJOR ISSUE: SPORTSNET.ca's Elliotte Friedman wrote owners across the NHL "have a consistent phrase when it comes to the 2020–21 season: 'We need to see a path to attendance.'" However, so much of this is "dependent on factors Bettman can't control: governments, general public behaviour, the border, eventual medicine/vaccines, you name it." But half the NHL's revenue "comes through this avenue, and continuing without them is useless." The NHL is "watching other leagues to see how fans in stands works, but it's not exactly apples to apples because many of the examples are outdoor stadiums." One of the theories is that the NHL "will consider 'short-term' bubbles in markets fans can attend." But Friedman wondered, "What if your biggest revenue-driving markets won't allow crowds? What if your options are markets that have a history of low attendance, or little interest in anyone but the home team?" Completing this season "didn't make the NHL any money." It simply "allowed the league to fulfill its commitments to television and sponsors, plus award the Stanley Cup." The bubble costs are estimated at $75-90M (all figures U.S.), which was "helped by playing in Canada -- although safety was the primary reason this country hosted both sites" (SPORTSNET.ca, 9/30).
DELAYED START? In Las Vegas, Ben Gotz notes the NHL has tentative dates for the start of training camps (Nov. 17) and the beginning of the '20-21 season (Dec. 1), but "few people in hockey think those dates are realistic." Golden Knights C Paul Stastny said, "If I were a betting man, I'd say we're going to start later than projected." Gotz writes it "makes sense for the NHL to potentially delay its season further and buy more time to make better informed decisions." But the NHL "can't wait forever, though." A typical season "starts in October and ends in June," but that calendar is "now way out of whack." Even pushing back its start a little "will give the league more time to determine what next season will look like" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 10/1). Meanwhile, SPORTSNET.ca's Friedman wrote it is his opinion that the NHL "would be very interested in a Jan. 1 return." Friedman: "I'd be shocked if there was a Winter Classic without full attendance; that's wasting a great event. But it's become a major day on the league calendar" (SPORTSNET.ca, 9/30).
