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FILE - In this May 27, 2019, file photo, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman speaks to the media before Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals between the St. Louis Blues and the Boston Bruins, in Boston. The NHL is one step closer to returning. Bettman unveiled a 24-team straight to playoffs format the league will use if it can clear the other hurdles to resume its season. Under the plan approved last week by players and agreed to by the NHL, the top four teams in each conference will play for seeding while the other 16 face off in best-of-five series to determine the field to vie for the Stanley Cup .(AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

NHL moves ahead with 24-team playoff format if play resumes

By STEPHEN WHYNO and JOHN WAWROW - Associated Press

In this Feb. 17, 2019, file photo, New Jersey Devils right wing Kurtis Gabriel works out prior to an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres in Newark, N.J. The NHL is hoping to move to Phase 2 of its return-to-play protocol, including the opening of practice facilities and allowing small group workouts, early next month.The league, which was forced to pause its season on March 12 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, released a 22-page memo detailing the plan Monday, May 25, 2020. The document stresses there's no exact date for the start of Phase 2 or a timetable for how long it will last. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File) **FILE**

The Latest: Iowa St AD sees football games with 30,000 fans

By The Associated Press - Associated Press

FILE - In this June 25, 2018, file photo, Buffalo Sabres general manager Jason Botterill addresses the media during an NHL news conference in Buffalo N.Y. Buffalo Botterill has ownership’s backing to return for a fourth season despite overseeing a team that extended its playoff drought to a ninth consecutive year, team president and co-owner Kim Pegula told The Associated Press on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes, File)

Kim Pegula to AP: Botterill returning as Sabres’ GM

By JOHN WAWROW - Associated Press

In this Dec. 14, 2019, file photo, Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin follows through on a shot against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Tampa, Fla. Possibly losing as many as 13 games with the NHL on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic could leave Ovechkin two short of another 50-goal season and threaten his ability to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) ** FILE **

Gary Bettman announces NHL restart plan; no dates, hub cities finalized

By Adam Zielonka - The Washington Times

In this Feb. 17, 2019, file photo, New Jersey Devils right wing Kurtis Gabriel works out prior to an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres in Newark, N.J. The NHL is hoping to move to Phase 2 of its return-to-play protocol, including the opening of practice facilities and allowing small group workouts, early next month.The league, which was forced to pause its season on March 12 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, released a 22-page memo detailing the plan Monday, May 25, 2020. The document stresses there's no exact date for the start of Phase 2 or a timetable for how long it will last. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File) **FILE**

NHL plans move to small-group training as Phase 2 of return

Associated Press

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, right, of Russia, skates with the puck against Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Robert Hagg, left, during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, March 4, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) ** FILE **

NHL working on 24-team playoff format to resume hockey season

By Adam Zielonka - The Washington Times

This is a March 12, 2020, file photo showing Capital One Arena, home of the Washington Capitals NHL hockey club in Washington. Get used to the concept of pods and pucks if the NHL is going to have any chance of completing its season, with the most likely scenarios calling for games in empty, air-conditioned arenas during the dog days of summer. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File) **FILE**

Mixed feelings around hockey about holding NHL draft early

By STEPHEN WHYNO - Associated Press

This is a March 12, 2020, file photo showing Capital One Arena, home of the Washington Capitals NHL hockey club in Washington. Get used to the concept of pods and pucks if the NHL is going to have any chance of completing its season, with the most likely scenarios calling for games in empty, air-conditioned arenas during the dog days of summer. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File) **FILE**

Pod hockey: Leading plan for NHL return includes empty rinks

By Stephen Whyno and John Wawrow - Associated Press

Devils forward Palmieri paints, hopes NHL return in picture

By TOM CANAVAN - Associated Press

New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk (55) defends as Washington Capitals right wing Joel Ward (42) attempts to deflect the shot against goalie Jaroslav Halak (41), from the Czech Republic, during the first period of Game 7 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Monday, April 27, 2015, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ** FILE **

Joel Ward, former Capitals winger, retires from NHL

By Adam Zielonka - The Washington Times

FILE - In this March 16, 2017, file photo, Phil Pritchard, left, picks up the Stanley Cup as Craig Campbell, right, holds the original Stanley Cup following an event commemorating the cup's 125th anniversary at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario. The NHL is on hold, the cup is locked up inside the Hockey Hall of Fame and longtime keeper Pritchard has shed his trademark white gloves to work from home like so many others during the coronavirus pandemic. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

With hockey on hiatus, storied Stanley Cup is locked away

By STEPHEN WHYNO - Associated Press

Gates stand locked outside the closed Manchester City Etihad Stadium, in Manchester, northern England, as the English Premier League soccer season has been suspended due to coronavirus, Thursday, April 9, 2020. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

The Latest: Cubs to use Wrigley as food distribution hub

By The Associated Press - Associated Press

FILE - In this March 3, 2020, file photo, New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban (76) plays against the Vegas Golden Knights during an NHL hockey game in Las Vegas. Subban and the NHL are bringing something new to television Saturday for fans and everyone dealing with the isolation and hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic. It's NHL Hat Trick Trivia. Subban is the host of the weekly 30-minute show in which contestants will answer up to three hockey trivia questions for prizes, the top one being two tickets to any game next season. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Devils defenseman P.K. Subban is host of new NHL trivia show

By TOM CANAVAN - Associated Press

Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (74) shoots the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, on Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Al Drago) ** FILE **

John Carlson says North Dakota-based NHL return a ‘longshot,’ but any option a good one

By Adam Zielonka - The Washington Times

FILE - In this April 10, 2019, file photo, New York Islanders players take the ice as a man holds a makeshift Stanley Cup prior to Game 1 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, FIle)

NHL playoff scenarios run the gamut of where, when and how

By John Wawrow and Stephen Whyno - Associated Press

FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2020, file photo, Philadelphia Flyers' Tyler Pitlick, left, tries to jump past Pittsburgh Penguins' Jack Johnson during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Philadelphia. The latest chapter of The Battle of Alberta is on hold. So's the potential renewal of the Pennsylvania rivalry between the Penguins and Flyers. It's unclear when or if the coronvirus pandemic-delayed NHL playoffs -- which were supposed to begin Wednesday -- will be played or what form they'll resemble. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, FIle)

What Stanley Cup Playoffs could look like if NHL resumes

By STEPHEN WHYNO and JOHN WAWROW - Associated Press

Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby reaches for the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) ** FILE **

Capitals’ offseason plans, championship window likely affected by suspended season

By Adam Zielonka - The Washington Times

In this Jan. 7, 2020, file photo ,Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8), of Russia, skates with the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Ottawa Senators in Washington. Ovechkin is on the verge of becoming the eighth player in NHL history to score 700 career goals. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) ** FILE **

Alex Ovechkin: Staying safe more important right now than chasing milestones

By Adam Zielonka - The Washington Times

NHL hockey players Jordan Staal, captain of the Carolina Hurricanes, clockwise from top left, Claude Giroux, captain of the Philadelphia Flyers, Marc Stall, alternate captain for the New York Rangers and Sidney Crosby, captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, take part in an NHL video call with players representing the Metropolitan Division Thursday, March 26, 2020, in this photo made in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Wawrow)

Ovechkin, Crosby favor NHL going directly into playoffs

By JOHN WAWROW and STEPHEN WHYNO - Associated Press

A locked gate is seen by the Etihad Stadium where Manchester City was due to play Burnley in an English Premier League soccer match Saturday March 14, 2020, after all English soccer games were cancelled due to the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus. For most people, the new COVID-19 coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, but for some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

The Latest: Hurricanes ask employees to take time off

By The Associated Press - Associated Press