After a lot of chatter but no real hard information, we have some developments regarding where the National Hockey League will host the 2020 playoffs. One city has been all-but-confirmed, while another is apparently a strong preference by the league.
Vegas will be a hub city for NHL playoff games and we should expect the official announcement before June 22.
The other depends on how the Canadian government chooses to enforce the 14-day quarantine for those entering the country. (@reporterchris)https://t.co/JDL9NuFIqG
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 13, 2020
The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s John Katsilometes reported Friday night that the NHL will announce Las Vegas as a hub city on June 22, citing sources close to the planning process. Reportedly, MGM International is holding off on opening up some hotels to the public due to the NHL’s needs during the hub city period:
MGM Resorts hotels in play to host visiting teams include Vdara, Delano, the Park MGM/NoMad Hotel and The Mirage, according to sources. The league reportedly has asked for a nongaming, nonsmoking hotel, leaving Vdara and Delano as the two most likely resorts to house the teams and their support staffs. Two hotels probably would be required to meet the needs of the visiting teams.
MGM has already opened several of their Vegas properties, including the Bellagio, MGM Grand, New York New York, Excalibur and MGM Signature. Mandalay Bay, Luxor and Aria are not open yet, but are planning to all open by the beginning of July.
Johnston added an additional scoop to that report, in regards to the NHL’s preference for a second hub city:
Ideally, the NHL would like to have a Canadian city serve as a hub alongside Vegas, but that won’t be finalized until the federal government makes a ruling. Toronto is the preferred destination, assuming the quarantine issue can be managed.
The 2020 playoffs are expected to begin in late July or early August, depending on public health guidelines between now and then regarding the spread of COVID-19. Currently, the federal government currently requires folks traveling to Canada who have no symptoms to self-isolate for 14 days – Flames forward Tobias Rieder is doing this right now – but negotiations are ongoing to potentially modify the regulations for the NHL’s return.
We’ll have more on this as it develops.