NHL and NHLPA announce CBA extension, playoffs begin August 1

Folks, 2020 has been an extraordinarily odd year. Add one more thing to the laundry list of weird stuff that’s gone down: the National Hockey League and the players association have agreed to a collective bargaining agreement extension.

Pending ratification from the Board of Governors and NHLPA membership, playoff games will begin on August 1.

Teams will begin training camps July 13, head to their hub cities July 26, and begin games August 1.

In my lifetime, there have been CBA-related work stoppages in 1992, 1994-95, 2004-05 and 2012-13. It’s actually been a running joke among many hockey media that we tell time on this beat in labour stoppages. If ratified, this CBA extension will run through the 2025-26 season and means that we’ll see 13 NHL seasons between work stoppages. That in itself is pretty remarkable, and speaks to how the NHL and NHLPA are getting along these days.

Our pal Pat Steinberg and I chatted about the improved player/owner relationship during my weekly Monday radio hit on Sportsnet 960 The Fan (coincidentally about an hour before the news broke).

We’ll have more details on this story as it develops.