TSN: The NHL won’t announce where the Hub Cities will be until they at least get a pending approval from the players on the Return to Play protocol and CBA matters according to Bob McKenzie. Edmonton and Toronto may be the two Hub cities due to the outbreaks in Vegas.
“Now, the other development on the hub front is that there is a real possibility that it can be all-Canadian hubs. That is Toronto and Edmonton. That could be the proverbial jinx for one of those two places, because every time that we’ve tried to come up with what we think are the frontrunners…We thought it was (Las) Vegas and Vancouver, and then Vancouver was out. It was Vegas and Toronto and then Vegas seemed to be out. So I don’t know if saying Edmonton and Toronto are the frontrunners will jinx them. But right now, and admittedly it’s a very fluid situation, minute-to-minute and hour-to-hour that that is the case.”
The NHL and NHLPA realize they are down to the wire and running out of time. They are trying to finalize Phase 3, Phase 4, all the protocols, and the entire CBA. The hope is for the players to vote by the end of the week.
Mark Spector: After talking with some people yesterday: “If it’s all about safety – which it should be – we should be in Edmonton and Toronto.”
Vegas isn’t officially out of the running. One player added “It’s about mental health. Who wants to be locked inside for two months in Vegas?”
- Mark Spector: By being locked inside the player was referring to living in air-conditioned placed due to the high heat of Nevada and the fear of being close to the local population.
- If playing elsewhere they can golf on their off-days or go running outside. There is a lot less risk of getting COVID-19.
Lance Hornby: Edmonton and Toronto have been relatively safe cities and they are the perfect time zone to broadcast games.
Pierre LeBrun: Part of the CBA talks includes the likelihood of the NHL returning to the Olympics for 2022 and 2026.
Frank Seravalli: The NHL and NHLPA extended player contracts past July 1st.
As part of all the protocol and Return to Play talks, players can opt-out of playing if they are not comfortable returning.