NHL, union agree to start playoff Aug. 1
Tentative deal also extends CBA through ’25-26 season
The National Hockey League and NHL Players’ Association announced a tentative agreement Monday to return to play this season and extend their collective bargaining agreement by four years.
The CBA deal, coupled with both sides’ recent agreement on protocols for training camps and games, paves the way for hockey to resume in less than a month. Training camps would open next Monday, July 13, and games would resume Aug. 1 if the league’s board of governors, players’ executive committee and full membership sign off.
The NHL is going straight to the playoffs with 24 teams resuming play. Those teams will travel to either Edmonton or Toronto on July 26 for exhibition games. The qualifying round would begin Aug. 1.
Extending the CBA — which will now run through the end of the 2025-26 season — was considered a necessary step toward hockey returning this summer amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Details of the CBA extension weren’t revealed.
Among the issues discussed were the league potentially returning to Olympic competition and the share of escrow payments players would owe owners to even out hockey-related revenue at 50-50
The agreement needs two-thirds approval by owners, and on the union side a majority of the 31-representative executive board full player membership.
Over the weekend, the league and players agreed to an extensive series of return-to-play protocols involving training camps and games.
Baseball: MLB will open its 60-game season July 23 with the Yankees visiting the World Series champion Nationals at 7:08 p.m. EDT, then the Dodgers hosting the Giants at 10:08 p.m. There are 14 games on July 24, including the first matchup at new Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas when the Rangers take on the Rockies . ... The Nationals and reigning AL champion Astros each called off training camp practices after not receiving COVID-19 test results from Friday . ... Rangers All-Star slugger Joey Gallo tested positive for the coronavirus, though the team said he’s asymptomatic. Gallo, 27, is isolated at his apartment in Dallas and not around teammates
NBA: The Kings and Bucks shut down their practice facilities Sunday after receiving the results of a recent round of testing for the coronavirus. The Nuggets, Heat, Clippers and Nets also recently have shut down their facilities.
NFL: Former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick will be featured in a documentary series produced by ESPN Films as part of a first-look deal with The Walt Disney Co. The deal between Kaepernick’s production arm, Ra Vision Media, and The Walt Disney Co. was announced Monday. The partnership will focus on telling scripted and unscripted stories that explore race, social injustice and the quest for equity. It also will provide a platform to showcase the work of directors and producers of color. Despite being exiled from the NFL since the 2016 season when he took a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality, Kaepernick still wants to play.
Soccer: FC Dallas withdrew from the MLS is Back tournament in Orlando, Florida after 10 players tested positive for coronavirus. The league said that of the 557 players sequestered at a pair of Walt Disney World hotels, 13 have tested positive: 10 from Dallas, two from Nashville and one from Columbus. Additionally, a Dallas coach also tested positive. The tournament is still set to open Wednesday with a nationally televised match between Orlando City and expansion Inter Miami. Also Monday, LAFC forward Carlos Vela, the reigning league MVP, opted out of the tournament out of concerns for his wife, who’s expecting their second child.
WNBA: The WNBA announced that in its first round of COVID-19 testing ahead of this month’s tournament in Bradenton, Florida, seven of 137 players were positive . ... The WNBA and players’ union agreed to feature the names of women who have died in connection to police action or racial violence when play resumes. WNBA players will also wear warm-up shirts that say “Black Lives Matter” on the front and “Say Her Name” on the back. “Black Lives Matter” will also be featured prominently on the courts in Bradenton.