2020 has been a year for the history books. And in an attempt to return to normalcy some professional sports have been given the green light to resume operation and begin play. One of those sports is the NHL. The Playoff season began at the end of July and will continue in the months to come.
The NHL has chosen two "hub cities" to resume play in. Both of these cities happen to be in Canada, where the pandemic is not running as rampant. These two cities are Edmonton and Toronto. The NHL has taken strict precautions on how players spend their time while playing for the Stanley Cup, such as constructing a mandatory "bubble" that players can not stray from if they wish t continue playing. Watching hockey in the summer, and under strange circumstances such as having no fans in the arena has been a transition for a few, but none the less we are finally back to watching professional sports on TV which is a huge plus.
Edmonton has one of the newest arenas in the NHL and has the infrastructure to support half of the NHL teams staying in hotels near the rink. Rogers Place is located in Downtown Edmonton, 5 minutes away from Mainstreet Tower, and a handful of other properties in our Edmonton Portfolio.
The qualifying round has now been complete and we are now moving towards the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. So far there are only 3 remaining Canadian teams left to battle it out for the cup; the Montreal Canadians, Calgary Flames, and Vancouver Canucks. The host city's Edmonton Oilers were unfortunately knocked out in the qualifying round and will not be competing in the 2020 Playoffs.
If you are looking to watch the action from your apartment this summer, all games will be held on Sportsnet for the remainder of the playoffs. If you live in the area you may even be lucky enough to hear the simulated crowd noises from your apartment.