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NHL eyes return by playing in a handful of arenas

NHL eyes return by playing in a handful of arenas
Posted at 7:07 PM, Apr 23, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-23 19:07:02-04

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told Sportsnet that the league is working on a proposal to resume the 2019-20 season after suspending on March 12.

Bettman said that one proposal being floated around the league is to place teams in four cities, with arenas hosting three games per day. These games would need to be played in empty NHL venues instead of smaller venues to accommodate broadcast crews and multiple locker rooms.

The league left off as most teams played roughly 70 games of an 82-game schedule.

Bettman said that teams would need roughly three weeks of training before resuming play.

"The decision ultimately will be made by medical people and people who are in governments at all different levels, so we're not going to try and do anything that flies in the face of what we're being told is appropriate,” Bettman told Sportsnet.

The league currently is barring players from accessing team facilities through the end of April. It’s unclear if players will be allowed back at training facilities at the start of May.

“We can play into the summer,” Bettman said. “Clearly, we can play next season, which we intend to do in its entirety, starting later. And so, with a lot of timing options, we have a great deal of flexibility, and we're not going to rush anything. We're not going to do anything that's crazy. We're going to try and do something, under the circumstances at the time, that is sensible."