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NHL Sends Memo to Players: Moving to “Phase 2” of Return

The NHL sent out a memo to players that they were effectively moving to what they called “Phase 2” of a plan to get back to a return of NHL action.

by
NHL Trade Talk
April 29, 2020

TSN’s Frank Seravalli reported on Wednesday that the NHL sent out a memo to players that they were effectively moving to what they called “Phase 2” of a plan to get back to a return of NHL action.

While the games are nowhere near ready to played, the second phase consists of facilities re-opening for players. Servalli writes:

The NHL hopes to move ahead to “Phase 2” and begin opening team practice facilities for small group workouts in the “mid-to-later portion of May,” the league said Wednesday in a memorandum distributed to teams and players.

Full story on today's #NHL memo to teams and players, which says the league hopes to open team training facilities in mid-to-late May and provides a brief travel advisory to players who have sheltered elsewhere:https://t.co/PL0TptEiCr pic.twitter.com/CXXdHIDPX1
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) April 29, 2020

The memo was delivered by NHL Duty Commissioner Bill Daly and said the return to facilities would could have to be adjusted based on “potential competitive concerns as between disparately situated markets.” In other words, for cities heavily hit by the COVID-19 virus, there may be additional delays.

Some players had started expressing concern this week that they were being isolated for their families too long and were told to go home. Now, it appears, as per Wednesday’s memo, the NHL has advised those players wh who have left their respective team’s cities to consider returning. The main reason being that if they are in highly affected areas or traveling internationally, they may be asked to face a mandatory 14-day quarantine once they arrive. That said, travel issues are still a huge concern as flights aren’t exactly easy to come by.

In memo to players and teams today, #NHL says it "may be able – provided we continue to trend favorably" move to Phase 2 and open facilities in "mid-to-later portion of May."

Players currently outside of club city should "consider whether to plan to return to their Club cities."
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) April 29, 2020

After Phase 2, which includes players training in small groups at team facilities, Phase 3 involves the opening of training camps, and Phase 4 would mark the return to game play.