NHL and NHLPA looking into a single neutral site to complete 2019-2020 season
It is hard to imagine that if the NHL resumes play this year, it will be in jam-packed arenas in major North American cities. The NHL seems determined to complete the season and have discussed having a neutral site be the host for ALL remaining games.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman the NHL and NHLPA have discussed a few different scenarios for neutral locations, one name that keeps coming up as a possible host is the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks North Dakota, home of the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks. The arena was host to the 2005 World Juniors and is regarded as the best non-NHL rinks in the world. Many league executives consider the Ralph Engelstad Arena superior to some current NHL rinks.
It is assumed the remaining games would be played without fans in attendance, given how far away we seem to be from being given the green light for mass public gatherings in North America. Player safety would seemingly be easier to uphold in Grand Forks, with a smaller population than a traditional NHL city. The English Premier League in the U.K reportedly has a tentative deal to broadcast matches behind closed doors in June, depending how successful the EPL will be with its completion, it may be a blueprint for the NHL to follow.
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