National Hockey League players and teams finally know when they’ll head for camp.
The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association announced Thursday the 24 teams that will resume the NHL season will open training camps formally July 10. The return to formal practice marks phase 3 of the NHL’s four-phase plan to restart the season, which paused in March due to the coronavirus outbreak.
“The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) announced today that formal training camps (Phase 3) for the 24 teams resuming play will open on Friday, July 10, provided that medical and safety conditions allow and the parties have reached an overall agreement on resuming play,” the NHL’s statement reads. “The length of training camp and, therefore, the start date for formal resumption of play (Phase 4) will be determined at a future date.”
NHL, NHLPA agree on opening date for formal training camps. https://t.co/35lF9nEob0 pic.twitter.com/l6W4VLXVYv
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 11, 2020
When NHL commissioner Gary Bettman detailed the return-to-play plan last month, he didn’t announce specific dates for training camps and the start of Stanley Cup qualifiers.
A couple of weeks have passed, and the NHL and NHLPA now have agreed on dates for the start of training camps, giving license to fans to ramp up their collective enthusiasm for hockey’s long-awaited return.
