Commissioner Gary Bettman was a guest on NBCSN's "Lunch Talk Live" on Tuesday afternoon and discussed the uncertainty surrounding the remainder of the NHL season due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Bettman said that right now, it's too early to know what a timeline would look like for finishing the season.
"Hopefully we’ll all know more by the end of April," he said. "From an NHL standpoint, we’re viewing all of our options. We want to be ready to go as soon as we get a green light…Nothing’s been ruled in, nothing’s been ruled out.”
Bettman added that he believes that the league could play "well into the summer," because the ice-making technologies are so advanced now that the ice shouldn't be a problem in any condition. Ideally, the league would like to be able finish the regular season, but Bettman acknowledged that they may not be able to do so.
“Everything we do needs to be fair," Bettman said. "The best thing and the easiest thing would be if at some point if we could complete the regular season and then go into the playoffs as we normally do. We understand that that may not be possible and that’s why we are considering every conceivable alternative to deal with whatever the eventuality is.”
Sportsnet reported earlier this week that neutral site games have been discussed by the league, where a small number of cities would be chosen as locations for the postseason. North Dakota has been mentioned as a possible location. Bettman said that the neutral site game talk is "just part of considering all potential options."
“(The timeline for the remainder of the season) is largely going to be determined by how much time there is, because we have next season to focus on as well, and the health of the country," Bettman added. "And by the country, I mean both Canada and the U.S."
Bettman said that the conference call between major league sports commissioners and Donald Trump was a "cordial, constructive conversation," but said "the uncertainty of the times weren’t clarified" in the call.
“All of us running sports are basically focused on the same things," he said. "First and foremost, people’s health and well-being and safety is the most important, and while we all miss sports, either putting it on or watching it, and we all want to come back as quickly as possible, we understand what the number one priority is.”
