If the NHLPA ratifies the NHL’s protocols for the 24-team playoff, fans will soon be binge-watching hockey.
According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the NHL will re-start the season playing a total of six games a day from 12 PM to 10 PM EST. Three games will be played in Toronto and three others will be hosted in Edmonton, which is two hours behind (Mountain Time). With each game lasting approximately two-and-a-half hours, that’s 15 hours of hockey per day at least.
When you factor in that playoff overtime rules could extend games even longer… whelp… you may forget to shower most days.
If such is the case, this would be the daily game schedule:
12:00PM ET in Toronto
2:00PM ET in Edmonton
4:00PM ET in Toronto
6:00PM ET in Edmonton
8:00PM ET in Toronto
10:00PM ET in Edmonton https://t.co/6LYztghMQM— NHL News (@puck_report2) July 7, 2020
“The plan is to play three games a day both in Edmonton and Toronto and the timetable template in local times is to schedule those games at noon, 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.,” McKenzie said on Insider Trading. “Now, keep in mind the two-hour time difference between Edmonton and Toronto. It means basically there’s going to be six games a day spread out over a 15-hour window, if not longer.
“And I know you’re going to ask me well what happens if there’s multiple multi-overtime games because it’s the Stanley Cup Playoffs and it’s unlimited overtime. My answer to that would be that’s hockey. That’s the way it goes. Now, I can also tell you though, in the preliminary round, when you’ve got four placement teams in the East and the West – the top four teams in each conference – playing seeding games, there isn’t unlimited overtime. So, what they will do there, they’ll just use regular season overtime and shootout. They would put those games in the 4:00 spot to try and make up time if the first game of the day goes really long, or to give yourself a finite finish time so that it can get to the evening game.
“But that’s basically the way it’s going to work. And it could be like U.S. Open tennis once we get into the playoffs. It’s not unheard of to start primetime matches at midnight.”
McKenzie added this caveat on Twitter.
Should add that the 12 noon-4 pm-8 pm template/schedule can/will be tweaked here and there on some days depending on TV scheduling/needs etc. Another way of saying I forgot to mention that on Insider Trading.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 7, 2020
So after having way too little hockey over the last four months, we’re going to have way too much hockey. Excited?
Headline photo: Pixabay
