Stanley Cup Playoffs Will Start August 1st in Hub Cities of Edmonton and Toronto

The National Hockey League Players Association and the NHL have an agreement to begin the Stanley Cup Playoffs on August 1st, resuming a season that was interrupted in March by the Coronavirus. The playoffs include 24 teams, 12 in each conference, with the 5-12 seeds meeting in a best of five qualifying round. The top four teams in each conference, based on point percentage from the regular season, will have a three game round robin competition to determine seeding. The winners of the best of five series will advance to the next round against the top four teams from the round robin competition.

The NHL is going with two Hub Cities hosting all the playoffs. Eastern Conference teams will play their games in Toronto while the Western Conference teams will play in Edmonton. Reportedly, Edmonton will host the Finals. Games will be played without fans present, and the players will be in a bubble environment, essentially in isolation (without their families until the Finals), and will be tested for Coronavirus each day. Players can opt out of the season with no penalty. The Stanley Cup Finals will begin September 22nd and end by October 4th. The NHL is aiming for the 2020-2021 season to start December 1st.

While they were at it, the two sides reached agreement on an extension of their Collective Bargaining Agreement through the 2025-26 season. Among other things, the agreement allows a return of NHL players to the Olympics for the 2022 and 2026 games.

While we’re waiting for this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs to begin, here’s some highlights from the 2008 Finals between the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins, won by the Red Wings in six games.