NHL plans to return with 24-team Stanley Cup Playoffs

NHL website ^ | 5/26/2020 | Tom Gulitt

[airborne]

The NHL announced its Return to Play Plan on Tuesday with the Stanley Cup Playoffs that will include 24 teams.

The tournament will begin with a 16-team, eight-series Qualifying Round and a Seeding Round Robin among the top four teams in each conference to determine seeds for the First Round.

The NHL paused the regular season March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus and it will not be completed. The 12 qualifying teams from the Eastern and Western conferences were determined by points percentage as of that date. Seven teams did not qualify.

"I want to make clear that the health and safety of our players, coaches, essential support staff and our communities are paramount," Commissioner Gary Bettman said in announcing the Return to Play Plan. "While nothing is without risk, ensuring health and safety has been central to all of our planning so far and will remain so.

[freefdny]

Go Rangers is right.

[Dilbert San Diego]

We may soon find out if the NBA will do something similar, moving into a revised playoff set up, hub cities, etc.

[Night Hides Not]

A future college basketball trivia question will be, who won the NCAA championship in 2020?

That's easy: Gonzaga...dammit, this was our year. The field was wide open, and our team was peaking at the right time.

What made it particularly disappointing for me was that we had 3 players from North Texas, all playing major minutes and making significant contributions. It was a real celebration down in College Station, after we thumped the Aggies by 30 at their place.

One of my favorite moments occurred when my grandson finally met his favorite player, Killian Tillie.

It was a golden opportunity, since we live about 2000 miles from Spokane. I've never seen a game in The Kennel, but we usually attend games if they're within a day's drive of Dallas.

[DallasGal]

Yes!!!! Makes the crap that is my life at the moment bearable! :)

[WalterSkinner]

..drop the puck—I’m ready for any kind of hockey!

[crusty old prospector]

Hey, they got a team already.

[Vermont Lt]

Sounds like a big weekend long AAU basketball tournament.

[KC_Conspirator]

Good idea, why not?

C-A-P-S, Caps, Caps, Caps!

[dfwgator]

Just as well the Red Wings stank this year - wouldn't want the Gov’s hubby trying to cut in line for tickets...

Ditto the Lions, Tigers and Pistons.

[karnage]

NICE!

[airborne]

I think Pittsburgh would be great but Gary Bettman will probably have the final word.

Vegas for sure. Possibly somewhere in Florida since they’re already open for business. Maybe a Canadian city to keep dem hosers happy! 8^)

[OrangeHoof]

I wish them well. Not sure how they decided on the hub cities but the American-based ones all have Dem governors or Dem mayors that could monkey up the works.

Why not Phoenix or Tampa?

Last thing you want is to have 12 teams roll into town and then have a governor or mayor say “now, wait a minute fellows. Can’t you have social distancing during the games? Do they have to, you know, bump into each other so much?”

Need to have a site where they’d burn the arena down if the politicians refuse to let them play. Not sure I see any of those on their “hub” lists.

[SamAdams76]

Hope those guys have been practicing in meantime, or we might see sloppy hockey.

Then again, that might be the best kind of hockey.

[Laslo Fripp]

Another college basketball 🏀 trivia question: Who won the 1943 NCAA basketball championship, and what member of the Boston Red Sox family played on the team?

[airborne]

Some good points. Our Gov is a real dope and our Health Dept freak speaks for itself.

[headsonpikes]

Words I never thought I’d utter:

“Thank God for Gary Bettman!”

[Laslo Fripp]

I had to scroll down four screens to find your grandson. Great picture and memory!

[Hatteras]

"I want to make clear that the health and safety of our players, coaches, essential support staff and our communities are paramount," Commissioner Gary Bettman said in announcing the Return to Play Plan.

so full of Shiite...

[Dr. Sivana]

Nope. No asterisk. It’s all about the playoffs anyway. Making them longer and harder just makes it better. And given how little advantage home ice is, especially in the playoffs where half the top seeded teams lose in the first round pretty much every year, the hub thing really means nothing.

If that is the case, and I don't contest that it is, isn't the regular season a glorified preseason?

[Varda]

Some reporters think it’s either Pittsburgh or Columbus for one of the hubs. The arena district is nice and hotels are near. Some say they have the inside track. I can see Bettman liking Columbus just to spread the wealth so to speak.
I think Vegas is a shoo-in for something.