Rogers Place: NHL hub city arena severely damaged by massive storm

A massive storm rolled through Edmonton and caused significant damage to Rogers Place, but the arena is expected to be restored in time to house the NHL restart.

Edmonton and Toronto were selected as hub cities in Canada for the NHL restart but a huge storm did some damage to Edmonton’s arena. Rogers Place is expected to be restored before the NHL teams arrive to continue the season on August 1. Twenty-four teams will compete in the 2020 NHL playoffs split between Toronto and Edmonton.  Similar to the NBA, the NHL has decided to use a bubble format to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Unlike the MLB, teams won’t be entering different cities every couple of days and moving on to the next, bringing with them the risk of infestation. Recently the Canadian government put a halt to the Toronto Blue Jays playing home games during the 2020 baseball season, stating it’s far too risky to have American based teams entering Canada’s largest city. The Jays are expected to entertain playing home games in Dunedin, Florida, this season at the team’s training facility.

The Canadian government doesn’t seem to have an issue with athletes coming from all across the continent to play within a bubble, with the difference being forbidding them from coming and going.

Are we sure Rogers Arena will be ready in time?

Rogers Arena suffered significant damage to its roof, as the water was seen pouring in during that heavy thunderstorm which also produced large hail and substantial winds through the Edmonton area this past Thursday.

In a statement published on Twitter, arena reps said the damage is being assessed and it’s not expected to hamper the planning and preparation of the return of hockey.  The facility is expected to be ready within two weeks.

"After a thorough assessment of Rogers Place & associated facilities, it has been determined the damage experienced last night was due to significant water flow mixed with hail, which led to excess pressure on the facility’s storm drainage system causing two pipe couplings to fail.Crews have begun work on the affected areas & we do not foresee any significant delays or barriers to either #Oilers training camp or preparations & activities related to our hosting as NHLhub city for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs."

The first game to be played in Edmonton is an exhibition game between the Oilers and their Alberta rivals, the Calgary Flames, on July 28.  Rogers Place is also expected to host the 2020 Stanley Cup finals.

Rogers Place is owned by the city of Edmonton and initially opened in 2016.