More plans for NHL re-opening training camp, dates emerge

It feels like we’re learning more every day about the NHL’s path forward to restart the season. As teams just this week have gradually opened up their practice rinks and training facilities for “phase 2”, the NHL and their players have agreed and set some dates for “phase 3“.

Friday July 10th, or four weeks from tomorrow, the voluntary portion will be over and “formal training camps” will begin. So at that time you’ll see the coaches on the ice and all of the players together. This will be a big day for players who reside out of town who have family ties elsewhere (Patrick Marleau and Jason Zucker, most notably for the Penguins) to be back and training with their team.

For the next four weeks though, we’ll probably get a lot more videos like this as players work out and try to get back into NHL game shape in this current phase of voluntary, small group workouts.

After training camp, if all goes well, would be the season. The Athletic’s Pierre Lebrun has thrown out an August 1st date, which would mean the Stanley Cup could be awarded sometime around early October. As long as everything goes to plan, that would be.