The National Hockey League plans to start the 2020/21 season two months later than usual. According to ESPN, the league set December 1st as the most appropriate date to kick off the next season.
ESPN obtained a memorandum that contains all the significant date changes that NHL plans to make amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Reportedly, the Stanley Cup finals for the current season will kick off on September 20th and should end no later than early October.
The league intends to have the 2020 NHL Entry draft on October 6th, while teams will enter the training camps for next season on November 17th.
For comparison, last year’s Stanley Cup wrapped on June 13th, while the 2019/20 season officially started on October 2nd.
The decision on these critical dates is still left to be finalized. The new dates will need to be approved by the NHL Players’ Association and league’s board of governors. Both entities are expected to vote on the matter by the end of the week.
The league and the players previously agreed to resume the 2019/20 season next week, when teams are expected to enter the training camps. The season will wrap up in Edmonton and Toronto as hub cities, with the first games being scheduled for early August.
