The NHL will abandon the rest of the 2019-20 regular season and go straight into the Stanley Cup playoffs with 24 teams instead of 16 - if the professional hockey league is able to resume play.
Commissioner Gary Bettman, speaking Tuesday afternoon in a news conference, said the decision is not a guarantee that games are coming back. The NHL and the NHL Players' Association still must figure out health and safety protocols and determine other logistics, including where to play.
"This is a meaningful start, I think, but it's only a start," NHLPA executive director Don Fehr told The Associated Press after the announcement. "We have to make sure that we can actually implement all the things which are necessary in order to protect the health and safety of the players and all the rest of the staff."
Still, ironing out the format and narrowing down its two potential playoff host cities to a list of 10 represents significant progress since global sports were largely shut down in March as the coronavirus outbreak turned into a pandemic. Play could resume in late July, with the Stanley Cup Final decided in September or even later.
"Realistically if we're in training camp mid-July, that would be a good thing, and if we can be playing by the end of July or the beginning of August, that would be a good thing, too," Bettman said. "But if it has to slide more, then it'll slide. There's a reason that we're not giving you dates now, because anybody who gives you a date is guessing, and we think we'd rather take a more holistic approach to doing this."
Groups of 12 teams representing each of the two conferences will be limited to playing in two cities, yet to be determined, with three-week training camps opening no earlier than July 1. Bettman said voluntary workouts could begin in early June.
"We hope this is a step back toward normalcy," Bettman said. "We think we've been able to work very collaboratively with the Players' Association and the players to come up with a framework that is fair and has integrity and should result in a terrific, competitive playoffs and the awarding of the best trophy in all of sports."
Earlier this week, the league and NHLPA issued extensive protocols once players are allowed to return to their facilities. They include a maximum of six players on the ice at a time, no contact and no coaches for voluntary workouts.
Teams will be responsible for testing during those workouts and training camp, with the league taking over when games begin. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said players would be tested for COVID-19 daily.
Instead of limiting the postseason to the usual 16 teams that qualify for the playoffs, the league and players agreed to expand the field to 24 of its 31 teams because of the unusual circumstances.
That means the likes of the Montreal Canadiens are still alive despite being nine points out of a playoff spot when hockey was halted March 12, but not all teams will have the same potential path to hockey's storied trophy.
The top four teams in each conference ranked by points percentage will play separate round-robin tournaments to determine seeding: the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference, and the St. Louis Blues, who are trying to repeat as Stanley Cup champs, as well as the Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars in the Western Conference.
The remaining 16 teams will be seeded by conference, setting up best-of-five series in the East of the No. 5 Pittsburgh Penguins versus the No. 12 Canadiens, the No. 6 Carolina Hurricanes versus the No. 11 New York Rangers, the No. 7 New York Islanders versus the No. 10 Florida Panthers, and the No. 8 Toronto Maple Leafs versus the No. 9 Columbus Blue Jackets. In the West, it would be the No. 5 Edmonton Oilers versus the No. 12 Chicago Blackhawks, the No. 6 Nashville Predators versus the No. 11 Arizona Coyotes, the No. 7 Vancouver Canucks versus the No. 10 Minnesota Wild and the No. 8 Calgary Flames versus the No. 9 Winnipeg Jets.
These games will be played without fans.
"It's completely different than what the norm is," Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin said. "I think we all understand how unique this year is and how crazy it's been. We've just kind of got to roll with it a little bit."
Said Bettman: "Any plan for the resumption of play by definition cannot be perfect. But we believe we have constructed an overall plan that includes all teams that as a practical matter might have had a chance of qualifying for the playoffs when the season was paused, and this plan will produce a worthy Stanley Cup champion who will have run the postseason gauntlet that is unique to the NHL."
Games are expected to be played in two hub cities, and Bettman said 10 are in the running: Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas, Las Veas; Pittsburgh and Minneapolis/St. Paul in the United States; and Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver in Canada. The Canadian government's mandatory 14-day quarantine could force the NHL to pick two U.S. locales.
"The interpretation of the quarantine consistent with our players' ability to travel in and not have to do a strict self-quarantine in a hotel room, we won't be in a position to use any of the Canadian cities as a hub city," Daly said. "We're faced with having to find a solution to that. Hopefully we can."
While there are still details to work out, including whether the first two rounds are best-of-five or best-of-seven series, Bettman said he expects the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final to be played in full in one of the two hub cities. Each team would be limited to a total of 50 people in the city it plays in.
"It's not easy getting everybody on board with all the different countries, the players, the teams that were in the playoffs, teams that may not be in the playoffs and getting that all agreed upon with the union," Buffalo Sabres team owner Kim Pegula told The Associated Press. "For us to even finish the season and award (the Stanley Cup), I know a lot of work went into it. But I know how important it was for our players, our fans, our league to make sure that we conclude it."
The decision to call off the 189 regular-season games that were not played ends the season for the Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks.
Those seven teams will now prepare for one of potentially two draft lotteries to determine the top 15 selections. The lottery will be held June 26, with another scheduled later depending on which of the remaining eight teams qualify for the 16-team playoff.
The NHL is still planning for a full 82-game 2020-21 season, though Bettman acknowledged the start could be as late as early January. It could mean nine months or more without game action for players on non-playoff teams.
"Among the long list of things that we haven't come to grips with is that," Fehr said. "There are a lot of things that have yet to be talked about."