Ahead of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft on Tuesday night, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that January 1, 2021 was the target date for the new season.
“We really haven’t focused precisely on what we’re going to be doing next season,” Bettman said on NHL Network. “I think it’s fairly clear that while Dec. 1 has always been a notional date, we’re focused on the fact that we’re really looking now at Jan. 1 to start the season up. Our hope is to have a full season, full regular season, and to have fans in the building, but there are a lot of things that have to transpire, many of which if not most of which are beyond our control before we can finalize our plans.”
The COVID19 pandemic and months long shut down of the 2019-20 season have wreaked havoc on schedules and plans that may not work out for several years.
“The key was clearly the collaboration and cooperation we got from everybody, starting with the players and the players’ association, all of our clubs and particularly the owners in the NHL,” Commissioner Bettman said. “We all had to work together if we were going to make this a reality, and it’s something that we and the players very much wanted to do. The players wanted to complete the season they started, but most importantly, we heard from our fans that they wanted us to complete the season as well, and that’s what it was all about.”
Previously, the NHL and NHL Players Association had estimated a December 1 start for the new season with training camps opening in mid-November. The Stanley Cup was awarded on September 28 with little time to plan for a new season and conduct the draft and free agency.
There is no guarantee the January 1 date will be met. The COVID19 pandemic shows no real sign of receding. The NHL is trying to replicate its success in the bubble cities of Toronto and Edmonton for the playoffs and Cup Final. A regular season, in non-bubble conditions, is a far different task to plan and complete.
The US is still consistently reporting 40,000+ cases of COVID19 each day. Public health specialists have said that number is far too high to consider a return to normal behavior and activity.
January 1 is not set in stone, and the NHL, NHLPA and fans need to be flexible and patient.
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