Jan 13, 2021 - Sports
Hockey returns under the shadow of coronavirus
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The NHL's abbreviated season begins tonight, with the coronavirus already casting a shadow of uncertainty over the 2021 campaign.
Driving the news: 27 players from nine teams tested positive for COVID-19 during training camp. 17 were on the Stars, who have had their first three games postponed.
- Looking ahead: Barring any cancellations, the NHL plans to cram 868 games into 116 consecutive nights.
Format: The league has realigned into four divisions, including an all-Canadian group. To limit travel, the 56-game regular season and first two playoff rounds are exclusively divisional play.
- East: Bruins, Capitals, Devils, Flyers, Islanders, Penguins, Rangers, Sabres
- Central: Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, Hurricanes, Lightning, Panthers, Predators, Red Wings, Stars
- West: Avalanche, Blues, Coyotes, Ducks, Golden Knights, Kings, Sharks, Wild
- North: Canadiens, Canucks, Flames, Jets, Maple Leafs, Oilers, Senators
Storylines:
- (Almost) no fans: The Stars, Panthers and Coyotes are the only teams that will start the season with fans in attendance, albeit limited numbers.
- The battle for Canada: A Canadian team hasn't won the Stanley Cup in 27 years. They'll fight amongst themselves to break that curse, with the North Division featuring plenty of rivalries — and lots of cross-country road trips.
- Sponsors everywhere: The NHL sold corporate sponsorships for each division (Scotia North, Honda West, Discover Central, MassMutual East) and teams will have advertisements on their helmets for the first time.
- Legends in new colors: Longtime Bruin Zdeno Chara is now on the Capitals, and longtime Shark Joe Thornton is now on the Maple Leafs. Weird.
- New offside rules: A player's skate will no longer have to be in contact with the blue line to be considered "onside" during a play. The "plane" of the blue line will now extend upward, like a goal line in football.
- Homeless Sharks: The Sharks don't currently have access to their home rink due to restrictions on gathering in California's Santa Clara County. They'll play their first eight games on the road.
Tonight:
- Penguins vs. Flyers, 5:30pm ET (NBCSN)
- Blackhawks vs. Lightning, 8pm (NBCSN)
- Blues vs. Avalanche, 10:30pm (NBCSN)
