Breaking: NHLPA votes 'YES' to the 24-team playoff tournament

Ladies and gentlemen it's starting to appear we are going to be watching 2019-2020 NHL playoff hockey soon enough. After the Return to Play committee helped create and finalize the 24-team playoff tournament format, the players have gone ahead and voted YES!

Regardless of the format, it wasn't going to please everyone, but this is a giant step in the right direction to get hockey back on the ice.

More to come, but PIT NHLPA representative Kris Letang says Penguins voted “yes” to playoff format. “At the end of the day, nobody gets exactly what they want. But, we all want what is best for hockey and to continue to grow the game.” He adds safety of everyone remains paramount
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 23, 2020

The NHLPA's Executive Board has voted to authorize further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return-to-play format. First step in a process that will require many other details to be sorted out.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 23, 2020

Sources are telling NHLTR the other votes are in and the majority have voted YES!. Pierre LeBrun also chimed in to remind us the NHL still needs to vote, but it's expected to hear a major announcement from the league in the day or so.

The NHLPA Executive Board has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format, subject to reaching an overall agreement with the League on resuming the 2019-20 season: https://t.co/SIzQYyooEE pic.twitter.com/9TftmApiGJ
— NHLPA (@NHLPA) May 23, 2020

Keep in mind, even once the NHL has an answer from the NHLPA on the Return to Play format, the league has its own “process”to go through, but the expectation is that an official announcement would come within a couple of days
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 22, 2020