NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed Tuesday that the league will not complete the regular season, and will move into the playoffs with 24 teams instead of 16 when the league returns to play from its coronavirus suspension.
The playoff games would be held in two cities, which have yet to be determined, with groups of 12 teams from each of the two conferences. Games will be played without fans.
Play could resume in late July or early August, with the Stanley Cup Final in September or possibly later.
The 10 cities in the running to be the two hub cities are: Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas; Las Vegas; Pittsburgh; Los Angeles; and Minneapolis/St. Paul in the United States and Edmonton; Toronto; and Vancouver in Canada.
Bettman said the ultimate goal is to present the Stanley Cup to complete the current season – even if it means delaying the start of the next season.