This morning, the NHL and NHL Players Association have announced that formal training camps for the 24-team playoff tournament will kick off on July 10th provided that they’re able to safely get back on the ice.
As we inch towards the NHL getting back underway, new details are coming out about when and where that might take actually place. While we don’t yet know where the hub city locations will be, it’s hard to not feel excited about the possibility of summer hockey with each new announcement. Even though there is still plenty of work that has to get done before we’re able to watch the National Hockey League again, it’s encouraging to see how much work the league and players are putting in to try and get this done.
The statement can be read below:
The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) announced today that formal training camps (Phase 3) for the 24 teams resuming play will open on Friday, July 10, provided that medical and safety conditions allow and the parties have reached an overall agreement on resuming play. The length of training camp and, therefore, the start date for formal resumption of play (Phase 4) will be determined at a future date.
The league and its players are currently in Phase 2 of the return to play plan, which kicked off on Monday as groups of six or less were able to start voluntary workouts at their home facilities. Today’s announcement provides us with a timeline for the opening of training camps (Phase 3) that are expected to last up to three weeks. Lastly, the resumption of the 2019-20 NHL season (Phase 4) looks like it will happen in August provided that the league is able to safely get back on the ice, though, those dates are still up for negotiation.
Despite the list of details that still need to be ironed out, it’s encouraging to see how quickly things are coming together as all sides appear to be working towards the same goal. On Tuesday, I wrote about the NHL being hopeful for training camps to start in mid-July and here we are only two days later with a joint announcement to say that it’s likely (read: hopefully) going to happen. From a team perspective, today’s announcement also provides a target date for players who are currently away from their home city to make arrangements for getting back into town.