The absolute best-case scenario for the NHL in wake of the coronavirus outbreak, according to commissioner Gary Bettman, would be to somehow play this season’s remaining regular-season games.
Joining NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico on “Lunch Talk Live” Tuesday, Bettman acknowledged how big of a challenge it will be to ensure that every NHL team is treated fairly should the coronavirus pandemic prevent the final three weeks of regular-season games being played.
“If we get to play the playoffs, who gets in and who can’t complete the regular season?” Bettman said. “We had I think seven teams on the bubble and they all think they would’ve had a chance. We have to deal with the lottery in order of selection in the draft.
“We understand that [finishing the regular season] might not be possible and that’s why we’re considering every conceivable alternative to deal with whatever the eventuality is. But again, it doesn’t pay to speculate because nobody in any of the sports knows enough now to make those profound decisions.”
Hoping to know more by the end of this month, Bettman said league officials are currently weighing all possible options.
The league continues to deal with the coronavirus, as the NHL’s eighth case — a third Colorado Avalanche player — was announced Tuesday afternoon. Five members of the Ottawa Senators were confirmed to have the virus as well.
Recent reports suggested that North Dakota and New Hampshire could be locations where the league could finish the 2019-20 regular season and postseason. Bettman didn’t specifically mention those states, but said securing neutral sites for games was “just part of considering all the potential options depending on how we find the circumstances.”
He also said the next steps are “largely going to be determined” by how much time there is before the start of the 2020-21 season.
Should the NHL receive a green light to continue play, Bettman said his main priority will be ensuring that players are able to get back into game shape. He mentioned ongoing conversations with the Players Association to discuss how to avoid jeopardizing players’ health.
However, the commissioner is confident the league could operate “well into the summer.” With the 2020 Olympics postponed, Bettman noted that NBC will have a broader window to figure out how to broadcast and schedule games. He also expressed his confidence in NHL arenas to sustain the quality of ice and conditions despite summer temperatures.
“The days of when games had to be postponed because there was no air-conditioning in a building are long behind us,” he said. “We have modern, state-of-the-art buildings. We play in places like Florida, Southern California, Arizona, Las Vegas, Dallas. We can handle making ice now in any condition because our buildings are that good and our ice making abilities are that good.”
With seven of the 31 NHL franchises located in Canada, Bettman said he has been staying in touch with the “appropriate government authorities at all levels.” He also took part in a professional sports league conference call with President Trump this weekend, during which he said the president gave a briefing on the current situation before taking comments and questions from each league representative.
“He, like us, would like to see sports back at the right time, both in terms of what sports represents in bringing people together and also we’re a bit of an economic engine,” Bettman said. “Tens of thousands of people work in sports. … Although, the uncertainty of the times weren’t clarified in that call. We’re all going to have to wait until we have a lot more information, maybe in the next few weeks before we can make any decisions.”
