NHL News
Trump Holds Call With Sports Commissioners, Hints When NHL May Resume Play
President Trump spoke with all of the major sports leagues on Saturday and gave some insight as to when they can expect to play games again.
Apparently, President of the United States, Donald Trump, is hoping that the NHL, and sports leagues like it, will play a big part in getting the economy to bounce back once the COVID-19 virus is somewhat under control.
The reports of Donald Trump holding a conference call with a number of sports commissioners and owners were confirmed early Saturday morning. By Saturday afternoon, details of that call started coming to light.
Mike Florio of NBC Sports wrote that sports league commissioners might be told to “Find a way to play your games.” Citing WWE and UFC being invited to take part in the call and both companies still holding shows while everything else is on pause, the assumption was that Trump wanted these leagues up and running.
That was not accurate and it certainly didn’t make sense because even if the NHL could run games without fans, any game would require at least 50 people in an arena at one time, That would violate CDC regulations and health guidelines.
Instead, what did go down during that call was Trump relaying the importance of these leagues getting up and running by late summer. He was giving them some estimates on when the teams could return to play.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote:
“He also told commissioners that he hopes to have fans back in stadiums and arenas by August and September, sources said, though it is currently unclear if medical experts find that to be a realistic timeline amid the current coronavirus pandemic.”
He also told the leagues to apply for tax credits that would be available, potentially helping them with losses and encouraging them to get back to work when games would be officially permitted.
Schefter notes:
Trump also raised the idea of the leagues working together to lobby for tax credits that used to exist for entertainment expenses, such as the ability to deduct concessions and tickets from taxes, sources said. That would be a way for leagues to jumpstart fans’ ability to return to stadiums in a difficult economy.
In the end, it sounds like Trump’s call was supposed to be positive and helpful for the leagues. Word is that Adam Silver of the NBA was very vocal saying he expects his league to be a leader in getting back up and running when things are possible.
At the same time, it gives a better indication as to when games in the NHL might be possible. Essentially, we’re looking at late August. That essentially kills the idea of a regular season getting back underway.
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