Tentative dates set for the Carolina Hurricanes’ training camp, NHL’s return to play
It’s all coming together for the National Hockey League.
Tentatively, that is.
The NHL and NHL Players Association announced Monday that they have reached a tentative agreement on the Return to Play plan and on a Memorandum of Understanding to add an additional four years to the term of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
As part of the agreement, the Carolina Hurricanes’ and the other team training camps will open July 13. The teams then will travel to the two hub cites — Toronto and Edmonton — on July 26 and the qualifying rounds will begin Aug. 1.
The agreement still needs approval from the NHL Board of Governors and the NHLPA Executive Board, and the full NHLPA membership. The NHL and NHLPA said the review and approval process should be completed in “the next few days.”
The Canes, who will hold their training camp at PNC Arena, will face off against the New York Rangers in Toronto in one of the eight qualifying rounds. The winner will advance to the 16-team Stanley Cup playoffs and the loser will be one of eight teams with a shot at the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, with a 12.5-percent chance of winning it.
“It’s going to be go-time here soon. It’s going to be quick, it’s going to be different,” Canes captain Jordan Staal said in a media Zoom call last week. “When we do get going it’s going to be quick, it’s going to be fast and it’s going to need everyone involved and ready to work right away.”
The 2019-20 season was abruptly halted March 12 because of the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus, which became a global pandemic. The Canes last played March 10, winning a road game against the Detroit Red Wings.
Minus a vaccine for the virus, the 24 teams — 12 in each hub city — in the Return to Play format will be sequestered in a “bubble” at the hub site. They will undergo rigorous testing for COVID-19 and other health precautions in the “Phase 4 Secure Zone” and safeguards will be taken in terms of hotel, meals and transportation. Even the hotel bartenders will be tested,
Teams will be allowed a 52-person travel party, with no more than 31 players, in the Secure Zones. A player’s family will be allowed to visit if their team reaches the conference finals or Stanley Cup finals.
Under the Phase 4 regulations, there will be no disclosure to the media or the public if a player tests positive test for the coronavirus unless there is prior approval by the NHL after consultation with the NHLPA.
The teams now are hosting voluntary training sessions at their home facilities in preparation for training camp. While players will have the opportunity to opt out of the competition without penalty, it’s expected most will decide to play.
“There’s just as much risk just living your life and kind of cruising through the grocery story than I think for the most part going to the rink,” Staal said.
“It’s going to be different, it’s going to be weird but there’s a lot of people in the world that are feeling the same thing in different scenarios. We’re hoping to get this thing going and play some hockey and get some normalcy back.”
This story was originally published July 6, 2020 at 7:13 PM.
