If the National Hockey League‘s ambitious plan to hold a 24-team playoff amid the COVID-19 pandemic does indeed go ahead late this summer it will be held in two so-called hub cities.
Commissioner Gary Bettman revealed the league’s return-to-play plan earlier this week, which will see one hub city host all 12 Eastern Conference playoff teams and another city welcome the 12 teams from the Western Conference.
Bettman also unveiled a short list of 10 NHL cities that are being considered to host the 600 or so players, coaches, trainers and on and off ice officials that will be placed in each hub.
But which two cities end up at the top of the league’s list will depend on what NHL brass deem to be the most important factors.
We already know the NHL would like to have one of the hubs stationed in Canada, but it remains to be seen whether the ban on non-essential travel between our country and the United States will still be in effect (it was recently extended to June 21) when the league hopes to begin training camp in mid-July.
If the travel ban is still being enforced by the time Phase 3 of the NHL’s plan rolls around, and no exemption is given to the league, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver will automatically be scratched off the list of potential destinations — leaving Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Minneapolis/St. Paul in the running to host the unprecedented playoff tournament.
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But if the travel ban is lifted before training camp begins, all three Canadian destinations are well positioned to win the right to become one of the hubs, even if players who are entering Canada must still quarantine for 14 days.
Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver boast top flight NHL arenas, plenty of nearby practice rinks, more than enough hotel rooms, and a history of playing host to big events, be they the Olympic Games, World Cup of Hockey, World Junior hockey tournament, or others.
Of the three Canadian entrants in this race, Edmonton has the edge when it comes to how well it has managed to keep the number of novel coronavirus cases in check compared to Toronto and Vancouver, and that may be the deciding factor when the NHL higher ups take their vote.
As for the crop of American cities, how weird would it be to see hockey being played during the scorching hot summer in Las Vegas? It could happen, because the home of the Golden Knights is equipped with more hotel spaces than any other city on the planet and is a definite front-runner considering its relatively low COVID-19 case count.
But if the NHL had its druthers it would want one hub city in the east and the other in the west to ensure a maximum number of practices, and more importantly, games could be staged throughout the day, which would push cities like Pittsburgh and Columbus toward the top of the pile.
My best guest is Toronto and Pittsburgh are the top contenders in the east, and Edmonton and Las Vegas are the best options out west, with the home of the Penguins and Oilers getting the nod.
Ranking the NHL’s 10 potential hub cities (most recent number of COVID-19 cases/deaths):
1-Edmonton 528/13
2-Pittsburgh 1,752/158
3-Vancouver 899/86
4-Toronto 10,726/800
5-Las Vegas 6,352/339
6-Columbus 5,566/253
7- Minneapolis/St. Paul 10,393/691
8-Dallas 9,188/213
9-Los Angeles 43,052/2042
10-Chicago 63,690/2,889
Rick Zamperin is the assistant program director, news and senior sports director with Global News Radio 900 CHML in Hamilton.
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