Exactly how the NHL make use of the three-week Olympic intermission is still up in the air. When the NHL schedule for the 2021-22 season was finalized, a three-week break in February was intended to coincide with the 2022 Beijing Olympics in the United States.
In the meantime, the NHL will focus on rescheduling the games that have been postponed as a result of a rise in COVID-19 cases around the league, as well as the potential of being detained in China for five weeks if they test positive for the illness.
Due to the fact that many arenas already have events booked for those three weeks, scheduling may be a little more problematic. The schedule creator, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, will “ask all 32 clubs for updated construction dates, particularly for the three-week hiatus in February.” A number of non-NHL activities, including concerts, have already been booked at various venues during that time frame, although there are still some days open.”
Because the Boston Bruins have had games postponed and will be expected to make up for them later on, it will be essential for the team to work around the limitations of the TD Garden’s resources. Eight days between February 6 and February 22 are free of commitments, allowing for some degree of adaptability in the plan.
The NHL, on the other hand, has not postponed games for every single team.
Specifically, as LeBrun pointed out on Twitter, “it is not only about rescheduling postponed games within that three-week timeframe, but it is also about shifting other games around from teams who have not been affected by cancellations yet so that those teams have games to play as well during that February period.”
NHL teams are set to return to action beginning on January 1 following the Christmas break, when the league reopens on December 27 following the vacation.
