The city of Edmonton will be hosting the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 14 years, according to Bob McKenzie. The city also will host the Conference Finals.
The TSN analyst surmised that Edmonton “won” the honor simply due to the low amount of coronavirus cases it has.
The Washington Capitals returned to the ice approximately three weeks ago. They’ve done drills and worked on their skating. They’ve lifted weights.
But now, they’re getting to the important things. Like how to properly celebrate a goal during a global pandemic.
The NHL has reportedly chosen its hub cities for the 24-team playoff and both will be in Canada.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie is reporting that Toronto and Edmonton will be the host cities for the postseason “[b]arring any last-minute complications.” Sportsnet later confirmed the report.
The NHL announced on Monday that 26 different players have contracted COVID-19 since the start of Phase 2 activities in early June. This number does not include staff who have reportedly tested positive as well.
While more players across the world have begun making the trek back to North America for training camps — most recently for the Capitals Jakub Vrana, Michal Kempny, and Radko Gudas flew back from the Czech Republic — there is growing unease from players privately about resuming the season. The spread of COVID-19 in the United States is growing out of control as the US sets new daily records for positive cases. The country is not out of a first wave that has tragically killed over 125k Americans.
Players are understandably skeptical they can pull off a safe resumption of the season and Sportsnet’s Eric Engels voiced their concerns in a Twitter thread Tuesday.
In a highly-edited sponsored post, the Washington Capitals announced that Alex Ovechkin was back on the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic suspended the 2019-20 season on March 12.
Ovechkin can be seen doing drills, racing down the ice, and smiling in what is the best sight I’ve seen months.
By Ian Oland 6 days ago
If the NHL resumes and completes the 2019-20 season, it will not be done in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Penguins announced the news in a tweet touting its “aggressive proposal” to be one of two NHL hub cities for the 24-team playoff.
The New York Post’s Larry Brooks is reporting that the NHL, in a directive to teams, has tentatively set its date for the official return of hockey.
The league is targeting July 30 as the start date for the qualifying rounds and round-robin play in the two hubs cities. According to Brooks, the cities will be announced “within the next week or so.”
The NHL’s 2019-20 season has been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic since March 12.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the NHL is telling players who need visa extensions to play in the postseason to return to their home cities by June 21. This would require certain foreign players to return to North America 19 days before the potential start of Phase 3, training camps, on July 10.
Most player visas expire on June – the final day of NHL contracts and the end of the league’s calendar year.
By Ian Oland 3 weeks ago
Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston is reporting that Las Vegas will be one of the hub cities selected to host the NHL’s 24-team playoff.
T-Mobile Arena is the site where the Washington Capitals won their first Stanley Cup in 2018.
By Ian Oland 3 weeks ago
The Washington Capitals will add 2019 first-round pick Connor McMichael to their expanded postseason roster if the NHL permits them to do so, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Friedman says that the Capitals will also add defenseman Martin Fehervary, who has been training with Tomas Tatar back home in Slovakia, to their playoff roster as well. The 20-year-old rookie defenseman looked impressive in six NHL games as an injury recall.
By Ian Oland 3 weeks ago
