It’s unclear what exactly will happen if the NHL decides to cancel the current season.
But if they do determine they can’t continue on with the 2019-20 campaign, will the Stanley Cup be awarded?
It’s a question that has been floated around often amid the league’s pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league seems hellbent on attempting to play out, at the very least, the postseason, but with the unpredictability of the coronavirus that’s hardly a guarantee.
At the time of the league’s pause, the Boston Bruins held the top spot in the league by six points. Even accounting for games in hand that other teams might’ve held, there is no disputing Boston’s top spot in the NHL.
As a result, B’s netminder Tuukka Rask was asked about the idea of winning the Stanley Cup by default, and he couldn’t help but first crack a joke.
“Nobody’s going to know in 20, 30 years when I’ll be bragging about it to my grandkids or whatnot that we won the Cup that way,” Rask said during an interview on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.”
He admitted that he doesn’t know what the rule is about awarding the Cup during a canceled season, but did share his thoughts on the idea of it.
“I don’t think they would actually hand the Cup to us,” Rask said. “Maybe they would just announce that the standings are where they are, the Bruins won the season, but I don’t think there would be a parade or nothing.”
Rask is having a hard time believing the season will resume, so we might actually find out if a champion is crowned from a canceled season.
