TAMPA, Fla. — While we're just getting started celebrating the Tampa Bay Lightning's Stanley Cup win, the next NHL season could be just around the corner.
The NHL is eyeing a possible start date of December 1. That means hockey season could be back in just about 60 days.
But, keep in mind, that is just a potential date. The league has also toyed around with the idea of later in December or after the new year.
The NHL Players Association will be meeting in the next two weeks to go over the upcoming season.
If the NHL season starts after the first of 2021, right now the NHL commissioner is not sure what would happen to the Winter Classic. The New Year's Day game is supposed to feature the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues at Target Field in Minneapolis.
Hockey season normally kicks off in October, which would make the upcoming season off track, once again.
Some good news though, according to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, the league wants a normal 82 game season with normal playoffs for the 2021 season. That means no NHL Bubble.
Of course the logistics for playing a full season, normally, depends on the governments of two countries, guidance from the CDC, and arena regulations. This means fans might not be allowed at games at the start of next season. That of course depends on where each state is in the coronavirus pandemic.
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