Game on! NHL, players officially agree to start a 56-game season on Jan. 13.
It’s game on, hockey fans.
The National Hockey League and the NHL Players Association have formally agreed to start a 56-game regular season on Jan. 13, 2021, it was announced Sunday.
Unlike the NHL’s 24-team “Return to Play” format used to conclude the 2019-20 season, the Stanley Cup playoffs will have 16 teams this season in the traditional best-of-seven series format. The top four teams from each of the four divisions, including the all-Canadian “North” division, will advance to the playoffs.
The Carolina Hurricanes, seeking a third straight playoff appearance, have been placed in the newly formed Central Division. The division also has the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 2020 Stanley Cup champion, along with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators.
Under the new format, the Canes will play each team in the division eight times, which should make for intense intra-divisional competition. The first two round of the playoffs also will be intradivisional.
Training camp will begin Jan. 3. The seven teams that did not participate in the 2020 postseason can open camp Dec. 31.
“The National Hockey League looks forward to the opening of our 2020-21 season, especially since the Return to Play in 2019-20 was so successful in crowning a Stanley Cup champion,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Sunday in a statement. “While we are well aware of the challenges ahead, as was the case last spring and summer, we are continuing to prioritize the health and safety of our participants and the communities in which we live and play.”
Coronavirus protocols, game schedule
The NHL and NHLPA will release health and safety COVID-19 protocols, transition rules, dates for the 2021 NHL draft and free agency, and the 2020-21 schedule in the next few days. The league conducted extensive testing for the coronavirus during the Return to Play postseason setup, which was held at two sites in a protective “bubble.”
“The Players are pleased to have finalized agreements for the upcoming season, which will be unique but also very exciting for the fans and Players alike,” Don Fehr, NHLPA executive director, said in a statement. “During these troubled times, we hope that NHL games will provide fans with some much needed entertainment as the players return to the ice.”
The NHL and NHLPA agreed that travel should be minimized as much as possible during the pandemic. There still are plans to play the games in the home arenas, although many could be played without fans because of differing coronavirus restrictions. There also could be games held at “neutral site” arenas, given the pandemic restrictions in different parts of North America.
No NHL preseason exhibition games
Under the agreement, there will be no preseason exhibition games. The regular season will end May 8 and the Stanley Cup playoffs sometime in July.
The NHL “paused” the 2019-20 season in March because of the rapid spread of the pandemic. The league and players agreed on a postseason format, with abbreviated training camps held in late July and then the competition starting in August in the hub cities of Toronto and Edmonton. Tampa Bay clinched the Cup in Edmonton, beating the Stars in six games.
Now, the Lighting and Stars will be among the Canes’ divisional rivals.
NHL divisions
North: Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Vancouver.
East: Boston, Buffalo, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington.
Central: Carolina, Tampa Bay, Columbus, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Nashville.
West: Anaheim, Arizona, Colorado, Los Angeles, Minnesota, St. Louis, San Jose, Vegas.
This story was originally published December 20, 2020 at 4:20 PM.
