After a long tenure of strict COVID-19-induced health regulations, sports teams located within the Canadian province of Ontario will be allowed to host full capacity crowds in their arenas going forward after being permitted to do so by the provincial government.

Announced by Ontario Sports Minister Lisa MacLeod on Friday, this new regulation will affect the NHL teams of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators as well as the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. This eased ruling has already taken effect.

While the number of attendees permitted at indoor sports events has been increased by the province of Ontario, there are still a number of health guidelines that will be strictly enforced on gamedays. This includes the requirement for all attendees to produce proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to gain access to the facility.

Following this latest ruling, the Vancouver Canucks are the last remaining NHL team that is not permitted to host a full-capacity crowd at home games. Currently, the province of British Columbia only allows for indoor crowds to reach a maximum of 50% capacity.

The post Ontario Sports Teams Permitted to Host Capacity Crowds appeared first on SportzBonanza.

According to a memo that was released this week, the NHL expects 30 out of 32 teams’ arenas to be operating at full capacity. Those outliers include the NHL teams based in Canada, who are set to operate according to a stricter set of COVID-19 health guidelines.

The Montreal Canadiens are expected to play their opening game in front of a 33% attendance capacity, the equivalent of approximately 7,500 fans. The Vancouver Canucks will also play in front of a less-than-full capacity crowd and while no final figure has been confirmed, the NHL estimates that the arena will operate at 50% capacity.

While the Toronto Maple Leafs are only permitted to fill their stadium to 50% due to COVID-19 restrictions, the NHL projects that the team will be able to fill its arena at some point during the season.

In addition to these expected attendance figures, the memo also outlined the COVID-19 testing and vaccination mandates for fans wishing to attend NHL games within the arenas. Currently, 10 of the 32 NHL teams require fans to be vaccinated before entering the stadium.

Eight teams will require either a vaccination certificate or a negative COVID-19 test upon entry.

The post NHL Expects 30 Arenas to Reach Full Capacity Next Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly revealed that the league expects at least 98% of its players to be vaccinated by the start of the new season. Furthermore, the league projects that only 10 to 15 players will not be fully inoculated by October 12, the date when the 2021-22 season commences.

While the league itself and the NHL Players Association did not look to impose a vaccinate mandate on its players, many were convinced to vaccinate due to travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada, which may include the potential of not being able to cross the border without going into quarantine.

Should there be any health protocols that stipulate so, the NHL could potentially suspend unvaccinated players if they do not qualify to participate in certain activities. In addition, fully vaccinated players who test positive for COVID-19 will have their illness treated as a hockey injury and still be paid.

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty explained that the possibility of losing pay and other benefits has swayed numerous players in the direction of getting inoculated against coronavirus. “I think that’s been an incentive and a motivator for most players to become fully vaccinated, even if they had concerns about it.”

The post NHL Expects 98% of Players to be Vaccinated appeared first on SportzBonanza.

NHL will most likely resume its 2019/20 season in Canada. According to multiple reports, the league is favoring Toronto and Edmonton as hub cities to stage play-in-tournament and Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The decision won’t be final until later this week when the National Hockey League Players’ Association is set to take a vote on this and several other elements of season restart.

TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie first reported the news.   

It was previously believed that the league will end up choosing Las Vegas as the hub city since it offered more accommodation options and could serve as a strong bubble environment. However, the rise of coronavirus cases and several other factors made it a less favorable option in recent weeks and gave an advantage to Toronto and Edmonton.

Toronto and Edmonton make sense from both hockey and financial standpoint for the league. Besides offering a desirable infrastructure, it will also be a lot cheaper to organize games in these two cities.

NHL is set to resume its activities between July 10th and July 13th when the teams are set to enter mandatory training camps.

The post NHL Favors Toronto and Edmonton as Hub Cities for 2019/20 Season Resume appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The resume of the NHL season might see more teams getting in the Stanley Cup race than ever before. The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) announced on Monday that they have voted in favor of having 24-team playoffs as part of the efforts to finish out 2019/20.

According to the plan, the season would resume immediately with the playoffs, which would see 24 teams taking part. The top four seeded teams from each conference would get the boot in the first round, while teams currently seeded from 5th to 12th position would meet in the five-game series. The winners of the first round would then play the top-seeded teams in a standard Stanley Cup playoff format of 16 teams.

“The Executive Board of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup,” an NHLPA statement reads. “Several details remain to be negotiated, and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play.”

This format, however, is still yet to be put in front of the league for voting. NHL is reportedly in favor of the proposal, as it would include the teams that have realistic chances of getting to the postseason but wouldn’t make it 2019/20 season would resume with traditional 16-team playoffs.

NHL is currently discussing several options for season resume, but the most likely outcome seems to be a centralized approach. According to sources, the league would choose two cities in which it would gather teams and play out all the games. Reportedly, nine cities are being considered, with Las Vegas being the overwhelming favorite.

The post NHLPA Gives a Green Light for 24-Team Playoffs to Resume the 2019/20 Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

NHL season is currently suspended due to coronavirus and there is no indication of when and how it could be resumed. Washington Capitals’ captain Alex Ovechkin recently decided to offer his view on the matter, saying it would be best to skip the rest of the regular season.

Ovechkin recently had a chat with reporters via video call and said that he would prefer to skip straight to the playoff despite the fact that he was on pace to score 50 goals for the ninth time in his NHL career.

“I’d rather start the playoffs right away,” said Ovechkin. “Sorry, guys.”

However, Ovechkin acknowledges that this solution would not suit everyone.

“We don’t want to play extra games, but I know for different guys who fight for a playoff spot — and we’re still fighting for a playoff spot — some guys want extra games. For me, of course, the more games we will play, it will be better for fans and better for teams who are fighting for playoffs,” he added.

Ovechkin isn’t the only NHL star who would be down with NHL season resuming with playoffs. Pittsburgh Pirates’ Sidney Crosby recently said that he would like to play in as many games as possible, but wouldn’t “mind starting right in the playoffs.”

NHL hasn’t made any decisions regarding the continuation of the season so far, but the league is considering a number of options in order to avoid jeopardizing the 2020/21 season. One of the possibilities is reportedly extending the current season to August.

The post Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin Would Skip to Playoffs When NHL Resumes appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After a long tenure of strict COVID-19-induced health regulations, sports teams located within the Canadian province of Ontario will be allowed to host full capacity crowds in their arenas going forward after being permitted to do so by the provincial government.

Announced by Ontario Sports Minister Lisa MacLeod on Friday, this new regulation will affect the NHL teams of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators as well as the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. This eased ruling has already taken effect.

While the number of attendees permitted at indoor sports events has been increased by the province of Ontario, there are still a number of health guidelines that will be strictly enforced on gamedays. This includes the requirement for all attendees to produce proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to gain access to the facility.

Following this latest ruling, the Vancouver Canucks are the last remaining NHL team that is not permitted to host a full-capacity crowd at home games. Currently, the province of British Columbia only allows for indoor crowds to reach a maximum of 50% capacity.

The post Ontario Sports Teams Permitted to Host Capacity Crowds appeared first on SportzBonanza.

According to a memo that was released this week, the NHL expects 30 out of 32 teams’ arenas to be operating at full capacity. Those outliers include the NHL teams based in Canada, who are set to operate according to a stricter set of COVID-19 health guidelines.

The Montreal Canadiens are expected to play their opening game in front of a 33% attendance capacity, the equivalent of approximately 7,500 fans. The Vancouver Canucks will also play in front of a less-than-full capacity crowd and while no final figure has been confirmed, the NHL estimates that the arena will operate at 50% capacity.

While the Toronto Maple Leafs are only permitted to fill their stadium to 50% due to COVID-19 restrictions, the NHL projects that the team will be able to fill its arena at some point during the season.

In addition to these expected attendance figures, the memo also outlined the COVID-19 testing and vaccination mandates for fans wishing to attend NHL games within the arenas. Currently, 10 of the 32 NHL teams require fans to be vaccinated before entering the stadium.

Eight teams will require either a vaccination certificate or a negative COVID-19 test upon entry.

The post NHL Expects 30 Arenas to Reach Full Capacity Next Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly revealed that the league expects at least 98% of its players to be vaccinated by the start of the new season. Furthermore, the league projects that only 10 to 15 players will not be fully inoculated by October 12, the date when the 2021-22 season commences.

While the league itself and the NHL Players Association did not look to impose a vaccinate mandate on its players, many were convinced to vaccinate due to travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada, which may include the potential of not being able to cross the border without going into quarantine.

Should there be any health protocols that stipulate so, the NHL could potentially suspend unvaccinated players if they do not qualify to participate in certain activities. In addition, fully vaccinated players who test positive for COVID-19 will have their illness treated as a hockey injury and still be paid.

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty explained that the possibility of losing pay and other benefits has swayed numerous players in the direction of getting inoculated against coronavirus. “I think that’s been an incentive and a motivator for most players to become fully vaccinated, even if they had concerns about it.”

The post NHL Expects 98% of Players to be Vaccinated appeared first on SportzBonanza.

NHL will most likely resume its 2019/20 season in Canada. According to multiple reports, the league is favoring Toronto and Edmonton as hub cities to stage play-in-tournament and Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The decision won’t be final until later this week when the National Hockey League Players’ Association is set to take a vote on this and several other elements of season restart.

TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie first reported the news.   

It was previously believed that the league will end up choosing Las Vegas as the hub city since it offered more accommodation options and could serve as a strong bubble environment. However, the rise of coronavirus cases and several other factors made it a less favorable option in recent weeks and gave an advantage to Toronto and Edmonton.

Toronto and Edmonton make sense from both hockey and financial standpoint for the league. Besides offering a desirable infrastructure, it will also be a lot cheaper to organize games in these two cities.

NHL is set to resume its activities between July 10th and July 13th when the teams are set to enter mandatory training camps.

The post NHL Favors Toronto and Edmonton as Hub Cities for 2019/20 Season Resume appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The resume of the NHL season might see more teams getting in the Stanley Cup race than ever before. The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) announced on Monday that they have voted in favor of having 24-team playoffs as part of the efforts to finish out 2019/20.

According to the plan, the season would resume immediately with the playoffs, which would see 24 teams taking part. The top four seeded teams from each conference would get the boot in the first round, while teams currently seeded from 5th to 12th position would meet in the five-game series. The winners of the first round would then play the top-seeded teams in a standard Stanley Cup playoff format of 16 teams.

“The Executive Board of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup,” an NHLPA statement reads. “Several details remain to be negotiated, and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play.”

This format, however, is still yet to be put in front of the league for voting. NHL is reportedly in favor of the proposal, as it would include the teams that have realistic chances of getting to the postseason but wouldn’t make it 2019/20 season would resume with traditional 16-team playoffs.

NHL is currently discussing several options for season resume, but the most likely outcome seems to be a centralized approach. According to sources, the league would choose two cities in which it would gather teams and play out all the games. Reportedly, nine cities are being considered, with Las Vegas being the overwhelming favorite.

The post NHLPA Gives a Green Light for 24-Team Playoffs to Resume the 2019/20 Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

NHL season is currently suspended due to coronavirus and there is no indication of when and how it could be resumed. Washington Capitals’ captain Alex Ovechkin recently decided to offer his view on the matter, saying it would be best to skip the rest of the regular season.

Ovechkin recently had a chat with reporters via video call and said that he would prefer to skip straight to the playoff despite the fact that he was on pace to score 50 goals for the ninth time in his NHL career.

“I’d rather start the playoffs right away,” said Ovechkin. “Sorry, guys.”

However, Ovechkin acknowledges that this solution would not suit everyone.

“We don’t want to play extra games, but I know for different guys who fight for a playoff spot — and we’re still fighting for a playoff spot — some guys want extra games. For me, of course, the more games we will play, it will be better for fans and better for teams who are fighting for playoffs,” he added.

Ovechkin isn’t the only NHL star who would be down with NHL season resuming with playoffs. Pittsburgh Pirates’ Sidney Crosby recently said that he would like to play in as many games as possible, but wouldn’t “mind starting right in the playoffs.”

NHL hasn’t made any decisions regarding the continuation of the season so far, but the league is considering a number of options in order to avoid jeopardizing the 2020/21 season. One of the possibilities is reportedly extending the current season to August.

The post Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin Would Skip to Playoffs When NHL Resumes appeared first on SportzBonanza.