NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Tuesday detailed the league’s plan to return to play.
The 2019-20 regular season officially is over while a 24-team postseason format will eventually help crown a Stanley Cup champion.
But before we get to live games back, the NHL will go through four phases prior to a return to play. We are currently in Phase 1, but Bettman said during his press conference on NBCSN he’s hopeful Phase 2 will begin in “early June.”
Phase 2 will include opening training facilities for small group workouts while Phase 3, Bettman said, will be “no earlier” than July 1. That phase will include a formal NHL training camp.
Phase 4, ultimately, is the return of hockey. However, times and locations have not been determined.
In regards to location, there are 10 hub cities being considered while two will be chosen with one city being designated for each conference.
