In light of the current pandemic, there might just be some good news coming out of the NHL. While the league postponed the NHL Entry Draft, NHL Combine, and the NHL Awards Show, the 2019-20 season might just have a chance of resuming play come summertime.
On last Wednesday's CBJ in 30, Bob McElligott, Jeff Rimer, and Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre spoke about the possibility that play may resume in August. One of the main factors at play in this possibility is the fact that the Olympics has postponed to 2021, leaving NBC with a lot of sports airtime to fill.
With no definitive timeline on the social distancing and the COVID-19 pandemic, there is nothing set in stone, but this would be a very likely situation if things take a turn for the better well before that time.
That being said, this would pose an interesting obstacle for the players and the arena workers. McElligott asked Grand-Pierre about the difficulties in playing hockey during the warmer times and the latter made a point that the rink crews and air conditioning will undoubtedly be putting in long and hard shifts to keep things to an acceptable standard.
Needless to say, and regardless of the amount of work that it will take the respective workers involved, it is safe to assume that everyone involved is looking forward to the day, hopefully, sooner rather than later, that this will blow over and play can resume.
