NHL Hopes to Resume in 45 Days, Players Allowed to go Home

1. Effective immediately, players can opt to return home (outside of the club’s home city, including outside of North America, to the extent flights are available).

2. The self-quarantine period should continue within the player’s home through and including Friday, March 27, unless a longer period may be required in accordance with local mandates related to travel. Players should continue to report immediately any symptoms or testing results to club medical staff.

3. At the end of the self-quarantine period, and depending on world developments between now and then, consideration will be given to allowing the opening of club facilities to players in scheduled and coordinated small groups for voluntary training and care of the players on the same basis as in the off-season.

4. Our objective will be that, in addition to continuing regular updates, we will be able to provide high-level guidance on the potential of opening a training camp period roughly 45 days into the 60-day period covered by the CDC’s directive.

So…

So, the best-case scenario for NHL hockey to resume this season is training camps will resume in early May, last for 15 days, and the season could resume in mid-May. It should be noted, of course, this is the best-case scenario.

Death tolls spiked over the weekend in both Italy and Spain, Germany closed its borders, while South Korea seems to have a grip on the situation. South Korea’s cases are declining and the mortality rate is below 1%. You can read more about international reactions to the virus here.

With some luck, we’ll all be back to normal in the next 60 days, retirement accounts ravaged by Wall Street over the last three weeks will come roaring back, and we’ll all go back to work to forget about the coronavirus (for those of us who love our job, that’s a welcome thing but I understand if you just swore at me).