Sharks officially relocating
Team makes the move to Arizona for training camp and possibly longer
Just call them the Scottsdale
Sharks for now.
General manager Doug Wilson announced Sunday that the San Jose Sharks will be holding training camp in Scottsdale, Arizona, presenting another challenge to a team that is looking to rebound from one of its most turbulent seasons in the last 20 years.
Hours earlier, the NHL and the Players’ Association completed a deal to hold a 56-game 2021 season from Jan. 13 to May 8 with playoffs to last into July. The league’s Board of Governors voted Sunday to approve the agreement that was supported by the NHLPA executive board Friday night.
With skating at their own facility in San Jose prohibited due to Santa Clara County’s ban on contact sports — the ban has been extended into January — the Sharks’ training camp will take place at Scottsdale Ice Den, a privately owned facility where the Arizona Coyotes usually practice.
As one of the seven teams that was not part of the NHL’s Return to Play this summer, the Sharks, would be allowed to open camp Dec. 31.
The league’s 24 other teams would open Jan. 3 and the regular
season would begin Jan. 13. There will be no exhibition games.
The Associated Press reported Saturday that the Sharks would stay in Arizona for the start of the regular season. That, however, has not been finalized, Wilson said.
Still, there is no indication when the Sharks will be allowed to play games at SAP Center, or when fans will be allowed in the building.
In a statement Sunday, the NHL said their current plan was to play game at home arenas while “understanding that most arenas will not, at least in the initial part of the season, be able to host fans.”
As coronavirus cases continue to climb in many parts of North America, the league said Sunday it is allowing for the possibility of playing games at neutral sites if needed.
The Sharks’ move out of
San Jose had been speculated for weeks after Santa Clara County health officials announced in late November that all sports involving physical contact or close proximity to persons outside of their household will be prohibited until Dec. 21.
E a rlier t h is week , though, county health officials said their restrictions were going to align with the timing of state restrictions, which are scheduled to be in place until Jan. 8, at least.
Shor tly af ter Santa Clara County’s new restrictions were initially announced in November, the 49ers said they would move two December home games that were supposed to be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
The 49ers practices are held on the grounds of the stadium and the team is staying at the nearby Renaissance Hotel, which houses the 49ers’ locker room and a small weight room.