NHL, players approve plan to resume season, extend CBA
Hockey became the latest sport to finalize a return during a global pandemic after NHL owners and players approved an agreement Friday to resume the season — and with it an assurance of labor peace through September 2026.
Games are scheduled to begin Aug. 1 in Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta, with coronavirus cases in the U.S. pushing the league into Canada for the summer and fall until the Stanley Cup is awarded in late September or early October.
Training camps open across North America on Monday, which is also the deadline for players to opt out of participating with no penalty. Minnesota’s Zach Parise said earlier this week he doesn’t think a lot of players will choose not to play, but the NHL already has one example.
Calgary defenseman Travis Hamonic became the first to publicly opt out, with the Flames’ announcement coming just hours after the agreement was reached. General manager Brad Treliving said Hamonic won’t play because of family reasons.
“While we will miss Travis in our lineup, we understand and respect his decision,” Treliving said.
The return-to-play plan, tentatively approved by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association on Monday, was ratified by the league’s board of governors and with majority approval from players following a three-day voting period, ending Friday. Along with it, the two sides also formally approved a four-year extension of the collective bargaining agreement.
“This agreement is a meaningful step forward for the players and owners, and for our game, in a difficult and uncertain time,” NHLPA executive director Don Fehr said. “We are pleased to be able to bring NHL hockey back to the fans.”
The NHL is back with an expanded 24-team playoff format, but things will be much different from the norm: There will be no fans. There will be between five and six games a day at the start — up to three at each site, which will be heavily cordoned off from the public.
And for the first time in league history, there will be an unusual final four in Edmonton to settle a championship later than ever before with ramifications pushing back the start of next season to December or even as late as January.
Still, hockey is preparing to go on in a year that has upended life for millions, and sports along with it. Only twice since 1893 has the Cup not been awarded: in 1919, when the final couldn’t be completed because of the Spanish flu pandemic, and 2005 when the season was wiped out by a lockout.
“While we have all worked very hard to try to address the risks of COVID-19, we know that health and safety are and will continue to be our priorities,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “We know that all of our fans are excited about our return to the ice next month, and that has been our goal since we paused our season on March 12.”
Even so, the NHL is being cautious in its return with Toronto and Edmonton to serve as hub cities through the qualifying and first two rounds of the playoffs.
Getting back on the ice also comes with labor peace through at least 2026.
The CBA extension includes an agreement to send players to the Olympics in 2022 and 2026 — pending an agreement with the International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation — and includes some salary deferrals that allow both sides to bear the brunt of losses from the COVID-19 pandemic and share in the benefits of an upcoming U.S. TV rights contract.
“All we know is we will be playing hockey, there will be labor peace so long as this thing gets ratified for another four years, six years maybe,” Carolina veteran Justin Williams said. “That’s good for the fan, that’s good for the TV audience, that’s good for the players, it’s good for everybody. So we’re obviously excited about that. It’s awesome that they were able to do this. I don’t think a normal CBA negotiation goes this quickly. But both parties wanted it done and they got it done.”