Be sure to like HockeyBuzz on facebook! For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, and a panel of league officials held a media availability to discuss the fourth and final phase of the league’s Return to Play Plan, that begins this weekend as 24 teams travel to the hub cities of Toronto and Edmonton in preparation for the Stanley Cup Playoffs on August 1. The league will hold exhibition games next week and the first two rounds at Rogers Place and Scotiabank Arena in early August before shifting to the newer venue in Edmonton for both Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Final.
“Both buildings are great. Both cities are great. Both hubs are going to be certainly much more than adequate. They're going to be terrific, but we just felt in terms of the needs for the Stanley Cup Final, we would be more comfortable with the resources available to us in the Edmonton building.… Bettman said.
The presentation of games without fans will focus more on television viewership (with high ratings expected after nearly five months without hockey), with the use of more cameras and different vantage points available to the NBC and Sportsnet crews.
What will life be like in the Secure Zone?
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 24, 2020
The NHL today shared a comprehensive video presentation with details on the upcoming #StanleyCup Qualifiers and Playoffs, ahead of a Q&A with media on Friday: https://t.co/x3j55fp9Vf pic.twitter.com/QMRlAxI3UJ
“There are no fans, and many times the considerations of where cameras go in arenas are based on where our fans are. We don't want to block our fans from the viewing experience. We have no fans here, so we are able to walk around an arena like this and find the perfect, most ideal positions for every single one of our cameras.… NHL senior executive VP of events and entertainment Steve Mayer said. “It is our goal to be able to show a hockey game in a manner that shows off the speed and you feel like you're part of the game, that you're watching with the energy that sometimes doesn't come -- yes, it comes from the fans, but sometimes it doesn't come from the play on the ice.
We've all heard that our game -- we all want it to translate better for television. We think that in this tournament we're going to be able to accomplish that even greater because of the way we can bring our fans right inside the game, down low, show the speed, hear the sounds, and then the energy of the set design and some of the things that we're planning on doing will make it visually exciting as well.…
One concern that has been expressed since the idea of a summer Stanley Cup Playoffs was discussed was ice conditions with as many as three games per day being played early on in the postseason and taking place in August, traditionally the hottest month of the year.
“We've had that concern originally expressed by the players, and our challenges in the past have been with ice, particularly this time of year.… Senior executive vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell said. “The real problem is when the doors open in any facility and the fans are in the building -- and basically also the body heat of the fans. We have no issues, no concerns about the ice conditions, and we've talked with our ice guys in-depth about this.…
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— Norman James (@IamNormanJames) July 23, 2020