Fansided

NHL still ‘weeks’ away from making decision about paused season

By Mike Zawisza

DALLAS, TX - JUNE 22: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman attends the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - JUNE 22: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman attends the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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With speculation surfacing earlier this week about the NHL looking into neutral sites when and if the season resumes, league commissioner Gary Bettman stopped by NBC Sports to discuss where the league stands.

The NHL season pause is now nearing a month in length due to the coronavirus pandemic and with recent reports stating this coming week may be the most difficult yet for North Americans, it doesn’t seem like hockey is any closer to being played.

In an effort to remain transparent during the hiatus, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman appeared on NBC Sports for an interview with Mike Tirico. Bettman stated that the league is still “a few weeks” away from making a decision when and even if the season could resume.

The commissioner added that he believes the league could play “well into the summer” due to the Olympics being postponed. Hockey in the summer would be a wild sight, and if they’re able to go through with it, they might as well go whole hog crazy and embrace the weird.

It’s encouraging that the league remains intent on finishing the 2019-20 season in any way possible, but it’s also worth questioning whether or not late summer hockey will leave enough time for players to recoup for the 2020-21 season. If the NHLPA is on board then obviously it’s a moot point, but we’re now starting to see how this pandemic may even effect hockey beyond just this season.

Bettman also addressed the speculation that the league and players union are looking into neutral sites when play resumes, saying that at this point anything is far from finalized and they’re just trying to keep options open.

While the powers that be in the NHL may not have given up on the prospect of finishing out the season, Bettman’s understandable lack of any concrete answers or timetable just goes to show how uncertain these times are. Hopefully, in a few weeks things will start to become more clear for the sports world on how to proceed.

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