Good news for hockey fans waiting with bated breath and unworn jerseys; the list of hub cities the NHL is considering is getting shorter, and Vancouver still remains on it.
With the NHL getting closer to picking two hub cities for the resumption of play, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that they were informed by the NHL that they were no longer in the running.
According to reports, Dallas, Columbus, St. Paul and Minnesota have apparently been nixed as well, meaning only six cities remain from the NHL’s original list of ten.
Three of the previously mentioned cities that are still in the running are Canadian ones, including Vancouver, Edmonton, and Toronto.
US cities Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Chicago are also included in the shortlist.
Vegas has reportedly led as a front runner for a hub city, largely because of its hotel infrastructure and low case counts in Nevada.
As of recently though, Nevada’s numbers have seen a big jump, with a record high of 462 new cases reported today.
Toronto remains the only Eastern Conference location, which would take different time-zones into consideration for television airing.
Still, when it comes to COVID-19 numbers (or lack thereof), Vancouver still holds the lowest amount, as BC recently reported only 32 new cases over the course of three days.
BC’s current number of active cases also sits well below Alberta’s, which includes a high concentration of cases in Edmonton.
The NHL’s training camps are set to kick off in only 17 days in each team’s home city, meaning the hub city announcement should be coming soon.
