NHL Hockey Will Officially Be Back On January 13 But With No Bubble
If you're feeling especially bored lately, the upcoming NHL return date might give you a little something to look forward to.
On December 20, The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and National Hockey League (NHL) announced an agreement to play a schedule of 56 games that will kick off on January 13, 2021.
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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
“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,” said Don Fehr, NHLPA Executive Director.
While the playoffs and "bubble life" seemed to work pretty well, it sounds like this won't be the case for the upcoming regular season.
"It is the current plan to play games in the home arenas of participating teams while understanding that most arenas will not, at least in the initial part of the season, be able to host fans," said the press release.
If necessary, the league says they will play games in one or more "neutral site" per division.
According to Sporting News, there will be no NHL bubbles this season because of the toll isolation took on the individuals.
Apparently, players will get hotel rooms for themselves and their families if they need to relocate.
There will be no pre-season games and the NHL says more information on its health and safety protocols will be released soon.