Covid-19 Now Has It's Sights Set On Fucking Up The 2020-21 NHL Season Too

• The length of time it will take to complete the 2019-20 season (if resumed at all). Several team executives that I have spoken with over the past week have said the league has hinted at being willing to go as late as September, maybe even October, to finish off the playoffs for this season. After that, some form of an offseason would be needed, even in a truncated form, before you could start a new season.
• A lot of teams feel they need fans back in their arenas next season before opening the doors. That’s what they’re telling me. It’s fine to try and finish off the 2019-20 season without fans because 85 percent of the regular season has been played and that gate money has been earned. But by the time the NHL opens up shop for 2020-21 season, most teams can’t even think of starting without fans in the building. Some organizations have told me they would lose less money by simply staying dark. Hence, they’re hoping a December start will be enough time for the world to be in a better place with the pandemic. 

I am addicted to sports re-starting news. Everyday I read something new. I have been extremely short-sighted with this and I am also an optimist by nature. The one proposed plan with varius game hubs around North America where there would be games on at basically all hours of the day got me hard. Noon starts, 4pm starts, 7pm starts and 10pm starts all in the same building happening all over the place...

That's basically an entire summer of March madness but with hockey. Oh and theoretically the NBA and MLB will be playing as well. That is a gamblers paradise. There's news of Phase 2 of the NHL re-start happening which allows and calls for players to begin skating and training in small groups. It felt like progress. 

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Then Pierre LeBrun comes in and yanks us back to reality that 1) the NHL may not restart at all and 2) it could impact the start of 2020-21. Now, he is saying that the December start is really related to the proposal of this current season lasting possibly into October. The key line that scared me though...

But by the time the NHL opens up shop for 2020-21 season, most teams can’t even think of starting without fans in the building. Some organizations have told me they would lose less money by simply staying dark.--Pierre Lebrun

NOT good. The poorer teams would be willing to play out this season in empty buildings because they've paid out 85% of salaries and I have been told that the players would be willing to defer their final checks and get paid out over a period of time when things normalize. However, nobody knows when things will normalize and the NHL can NOT function without gate revenue. Teams can afford it and that line about how they'd lose far less money by not playing at all scares the FUCK out of me. It feels like we could get summer hockey, but then have no idea when 2020-21 will start and that is a real nightmare scenario.