NHL Sets Return Dates, With Games Beginning August 1
BOSTON (CBS) -- Hold on to your hockey pants, people. The NHL is coming back.
The league announced Monday evening that a CBA extension had been agreed upon, which meant it was time to officially announce the return dates of NHL action.
Teams will begin full training camps on Monday, July 13. After almost two weeks of training, teams will travel to their hub city on July 26, in preparation for games to begin on Aug. 1.
These dates will only become official once the NHLPA ratifies the agreement, which is expected to take place this week.
The format for games in the hub cities of Toronto and Edmonton will involve the top 12 teams from each conference. The bottom eight teams will play best-of-five series in order to make the playoffs, with the fifth seed playing the 12th seed, the sixth seed playing the 11th seed, and so forth. The top four teams in each conference will play against each other in a round robin format to determine playoff seeding.