The NHL and players’ association agreed that mini-training camps for the 24 teams that will compete for the Stanley Cup can begin on July 10, the league’s public relations department announced on Thursday morning. The start of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs will be announced at a later date.
Photo: NHL PR
The players reportedly wanted three weeks of a training camp before the tournament starts.
Exhibition games for all teams before the play-in round could be in the cards.
Many teams have begun phase two (small group skates with no more than six players on the ice at the same time) this week after the NHL allowed for them to do so on June 8.
The Washington Capitals announced on Wednesday that they will open MedStar Capitals Iceplex, their practice facility in Arlington, Virginia, for phase two on Thursday.
Players in the area include forward T.J. Oshie, goaltender Braden Holtby, center Evgeny Kuznetsov, and center Lars Eller. The skates will almost certainly have social distancing applied.
The Capitals will play the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Philadelphia Flyers in a three-game round-robin tournament to determine Stanley Cup Playoff seeding in August while 16 teams participate in a best-of-five qualifying round series.
The NHL season has been paused since March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
By Harrison Brown
