Pittsburgh Will Not Be A Hub City For Stanley Cup Playoffs
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The Stanley Cup playoffs will not be held in Pittsburgh when the NHL resumes play.
The NHL announced at the end of last month that it will skip the rest of the regular season and go straight into the playoffs with 24 teams.
Under the plan, the Stanley Cub playoffs would be held at two "hub" cities. Pittsburgh was in consideration with nine other cities, but the Penguins announced on Twitter Tuesday that the Steel City is out of the running.
The @NHL has informed the Penguins that Pittsburgh will not be a hub city for the league's Return to Play plan.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 23, 2020
The Penguins submitted an aggressive proposal, with tremendous support from UPMC, PPG, and local business/political/union leaders.
Details: https://t.co/qJaPCAWJzN pic.twitter.com/g4HDD6j7fy
The team said it submitted an "aggressive proposal" with "tremendous support" from local businesses, organizations and leaders.
"We know Pittsburgh would have been a great host city because of our fans and the support we received from the local business community, unions and our political leaders," said Penguins President and CEO David Morehouse in a press release.
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"We thank Commissioner Bettman and the NHL for considering us as one of the finalists, which is a reflection on how great of a city Pittsburgh truly is. We now look forward to training camp and getting back to game action."
The NHL has taken a phased approach to restarting play after coronavirus shutdowns brought the league to a standstill. Currently, formal training camps are set to open on July 10 "provided that medical and safety conditions allow" and an agreement to play has been reached.
When training camp ends and play begins hasn't been determined yet.
If play does resume and the league launches into playoffs, the Penguins will face off against the Montreal Canadiens.