NHL season could resume in two to four cities, says commissioner Gary Bettman
- NHL commissioner says league could restart in ‘two to four’ regularly used venues
- Bettman says playing in arenas that don’t normally host NHL games unlikely
When the NHL resumes play after the coronavirus pandemic eases, non-NHL arenas won’t be utilised, according to commissioner Gary Bettman.
Interviewed on Wednesday night by Sportsnet’s Ron MacLean on Facebook, Bettman said that the league’s options include restarting in two to four of the regularly used venues.
Bettman acknowledged that all contingencies are iffy at this point, with multiple ideas being considered.
“We’re modelling,” he said. “We’re trying to see what our options will be under whatever scenario unfolds.
“The decision ultimately will be made by medical people and people who run governments at all different levels, so we’re not going to try to do anything that flies in the face of what we’re being told is appropriate.”
In terms of when action might resume, Bettman said, “This isn’t a race. The stakes are too important.
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“While some of (the players) may have been able to work out in terms of physical strength over the last few weeks, the fact is, none of our guys really have been on skates. We’re going to have to make sure that they’re in game-ready condition, because we don’t want to put them on the ice and risk injury and their careers.
“So we’re going to need time to come back right, and when we come back, it’ll be having done the right things.”
Bettman ruled out the possibility of going to a remote site to play games behind closed doors with just players and essential personnel on hand.
“We can’t play in a small college rink in the middle of a smaller community, because if we’re going to be centralised, we need the back of the house that NHL arenas provide, whether it’s multiple locker rooms, whether it’s the technology, the procedures, the boards and glass, the video replay, the broadcasting facilities,” he said.
Responding to a Sportsnet report on Tuesday that indicated the NHL might return with teams from each division playing at a single site, Bettman said, “Maybe it’ll be two cities. It’s not something that we can predict right at this moment, but this is part of the contingencies. It doesn’t necessarily have to be by division, although the centralisation could be by division.
“But the particular location could be anywhere that isn’t a hotspot and has what we need both in terms of the arena and having practice facilities because if you bring in seven or eight clubs to a particular facility and you’re playing lots of games on a regular basis without travel, there does need to be ice for practice.”
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Games without fans are a possibility.
“I think there will be some social distancing for a while,” Bettman said. “I think there will be masks. There will be Purell. There will be lots of things, but that’s something that ultimately the medical people and the government leaders will be the best able to tell us.”
The NHL season was suspended on March 12, with all teams having played between 68 and 71 of their scheduled 82 regular-season games. The regular season was originally due to end on April 4.
