VIDEO: NHL Commissioner Announces Return of Hockey - 24 Team Playoff

VIDEO: NHL Commissioner Announces Return of Hockey - 24 Team Playoff

 

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Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the NHL will transition into a 24-team, conferenced-based playoff format when play resumes. He also announced that the NHL will operate under once the playoffs begin. He made the announcement Tuesday -- see the above video.

Here are the details about the playoff format:

The dates have not been set.
Two hub cities --  one for Eastern Conference games and one for Western Conference games -- will be announced at a later date
Teams will be limited to 50 personnel in their respective hub city. 

A comprehensive COVID-19 testing system will be put in place
Phase 2 of the return to play plan is expected to begin in early June, but there's still no official date
Phase 3 will include the start of training camp and is targeted for early July
Phase 4, which has no target date yet, will include the return of play with clubs facing off in two hub cities for round robins, qualifying rounds, and the Stanley Cup Playoffs