Vegas Golden Knights’ Reilly Smith (19) celebrates his goal against the Dallas Stars with Paul Stastny (26) and Jonathan Marchessault (81) during third-period NHL Western Conference final playoff game action in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, Sept. 14, 2020.
Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020 | 1:02 p.m.
It’s official: Hockey is coming back.
The NHL and NHL Players’ Association today announced plans for a 56-game regular season beginning Jan. 13. Training camp for the Golden Knights will open Jan. 3 at City National Arena.
The pandemic-altered season will run through May 8, and the playoffs will end in mid-July. There will be no preseason games this year. The goal is to make the 2021-22 season, where expansion Seattle will enter as the league’s 32nd team, as normal as possible.
“While we are well aware of the challenges ahead, as was the case last spring and summer, we are continuing to prioritize the health and safety of our participants and the communities in which we live and play.,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.
This regular season will be played exclusively in-division, meaning the Golden Knights will play each division opponent eight times. And the divisions will be altered.
The Golden Knights will play in the newly formed West Division, which will include new opponents Colorado, Minnesota and St. Louis in addition to familiar foes in Anaheim, Arizona, Los Angeles and San Jose.
Teams are expected to play in their home arenas.
The top four teams in each division will make the playoffs, which will return to a 16-team format after last year’s 24-team tournament.
Intradivision play will for the first two rounds, ensuring each division has a representative in the final four. The final four will be seeded by regular-season points total with no bearing on past conference affiliations.
The divisional realignment was made necessary by the strict border protocols between the US and Canada, realigning the seven Canadian teams into their own North Division, and eliminating need for border crossing.
“The Players are pleased to have finalized agreements for the upcoming season, which will be unique but also very exciting for the fans and Players alike,” NHLPA executive director Don Fehr said in a statement. “During these troubled times, we hope that NHL games will provide fans with some much needed entertainment as the players return to the ice.”
More details, such as health procedures and key dates for events like the trade deadline, will be announced in the coming days.
