The NHL is close to deciding which two cities will host the potential resumption of play this summer, and Vegas Golden Knights president of hockey operations George McPhee believes Las Vegas offers everything the NHL needs from a hub location.
“Vegas is a hospitality town," McPhee said Monday, according to Sportsnet's Mike Johnston. "It’s a service business down there and they’re used to big, big events and they can handle this one.”
The league is looking to spread the 24 returning teams out evenly between two locations in secure bubbles away from the public. While making the case for Vegas, McPhee says players would have access to everything they'll need at some of the largest hotels in North America.
“Any time a tourist goes to Vegas and you get into one of the hotels, you rarely leave because they have everything there,” McPhee said. “Your meals and all your entertainment, you can work out there, theaters, sportsbook, spas, you can get a haircut, whatever you need.
"... These hotels, some of them have as many as six, seven thousand rooms."
In terms of rink availability, McPhee said “there’s enough ice to go around," mentioning the two sheets of ice at the Golden Knights' practice facility, and two additional sheets at the Las Vegas Ice Center about a mile away.
The NHL's bubbles will be very tight once play resumes, and the league isn't overly concerned about a recent spike of COVID-19 cases in Nevada and considers Vegas a strong option, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.
The NHL cut the list of hub-city candidates from 10 to six on Saturday, with Columbus eliminated from consideration, and Minnesota reportedly also now out of the running. Las Vegas, Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Chicago reportedly remain in the mix.
John Tavares believes the NHL is doing the best it can to implement proper safety measures to ensure the season can resume and finish at some point this summer.
"I haven't seen any other industries institute, at least that I know in the sports world, the type of strict protocols that we have and are going to have in the NHL that has helped us and will help us be as safe as possible and give us a realistic opportunity to play," the Toronto Maple Leafs captain said Monday, according to NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger.
"We continue to listen to all the health experts and health organizations which are kind of guiding us. That's the biggest thing," Tavares continued. "There's obviously unique cases and certain circumstances for any specific individual but we're in a pretty good spot with the type of testing, safety protocols, and measures that have been put into place."
The league revealed Friday that out of over 200 players tested so far during Phase 2, 11 tested positive for COVID-19. While this phase is voluntary, any player who opts to participate must be tested regularly.
The Maple Leafs captain is a part of the league's Return to Play committee and has been a part of ongoing discussions about players' concerns with return-to-play plans since the season was paused on March 13.
He pointed to the sports leagues in Europe that have resumed as a positive sign: "We've seen overseas in some of the soccer leagues, especially in some of the countries that were hit pretty hard, how they've been able to adjust and adapt and adopt very similar protocols in the quest to play and complete their seasons. It leads me to be optimistic that we'll be able to complete our season."
The NHL will reportedly allow groups of up to 12 skaters train together as of Tuesday. Groups of up to six were previously allowed under the Phase 2 guidelines. Despite the uptick of positive cases announced Friday, the league isn't planning to delay its tentative date for full team training camps beginning July 10.
The NHL is expanding Phase 2 groups from six to 12 skaters for on-ice workouts beginning Tuesday, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
Voluntary on- and off-ice workouts, known as Phase 2 of the NHL's return-to-play plan, were permitted to begin on June 8. Phase 3 of the plan features mandatory training camps for all 24 teams that qualified for the expanded playoff field, beginning July 10.
The NHL reportedly doesn't plan to push back the start date for training camps despite a recent increase in positive COVID-19 tests around the league.
The Tampa Bay Lightning shut down team facilities on Friday after three players and additional staff tested positive. The league announced later Friday that it's had 11 positive tests out of 200 since Phase 2 began.
The NHL and players' association still need to finalize agreements on the return-to-play plan. The biggest hurdle remains finding two viable hub cities to host the teams in two groups of 12. The list of those possible cities has reportedly been cut to six.
Oilers Entertainment Group is making a strong push for Edmonton to be selected as one of the NHL's hub cities.
The company provided details Monday about its proposal, including those related to the player experience and safety measures it plans to implement, according to TSN's Ryan Rishaug.
All players will stay at the JW Marriott hotel, which is across from Rogers Place. A village-style setup - similar to that used during the Olympics - will provide players with outdoor and indoor activities, including golf simulators, basketball courts, movie nights, video games, live entertainment, ping pong, pool tables, lounge areas, and rooftop patios.
Arrangements will be made with more than a dozen of the city's top-end restaurants to provide players with a wide variety of food delivery options. Local golf courses will also have days dedicated to hosting only the participants living in the bubble.
The players are unlikely to be joined by their families immediately upon arrival, but OEG is working with Alberta Tourism to create vacation experiences across the province for family members to take part in as the season resumes.
Safety and testing protocols will be strengthened for all players, staff, and employees. Edmonton police will also help plan dedicated routes for players to use when traveling to and from the arena.
The league is expected to announce by the end of this week its choice of the two hub cities. After reportedly cutting down the list from 10 cities to six on Saturday, Edmonton remains in the mix alongside Vancouver, Toronto, Las Vegas, and two others.
The NHL is reportedly not considering delaying its tentative July 10 start date for training camps despite 11 players testing positive for COVID-19 during Phase 2 of its return-to-play plan.
Oilers Entertainment Group is making a strong push for Edmonton to be selected as one of the NHL's hub cities.
The company provided details Monday about its proposal, including those related to the player experience and safety measures it plans to implement, according to TSN's Ryan Rishaug.
All players will stay at the JW Marriott hotel, which is across from Rogers Place. A village-style setup - similar to that used during the Olympics - will provide players with outdoor and indoor activities, including golf simulators, basketball courts, movie nights, video games, live entertainment, ping pong, pool tables, lounge areas, and rooftop patios.
Arrangements will be made with more than a dozen of the city's top-end restaurants to provide players with a wide variety of food delivery options. Local golf courses will also have days dedicated to hosting only the participants living in the bubble.
The players are unlikely to be joined by their families immediately upon arrival, but OEG is working with Alberta Tourism to create vacation experiences across the province for family members to take part in as the season resumes.
Safety and testing protocols will be strengthened for all players, staff, and employees. Edmonton police will also help plan dedicated routes for players to use when traveling to and from the arena.
The league is expected to announce by the end of this week its choice of the two hub cities. After reportedly cutting down the list from 10 cities to six on Saturday, Edmonton remains in the mix alongside Vancouver, Toronto, Las Vegas, and two others.
The NHL is reportedly not considering delaying its tentative July 10 start date for training camps despite 11 players testing positive for COVID-19 during Phase 2 of its return-to-play plan.
The Ohioan capital is no longer being considered to host teams if the NHL returns to finish the 2019-20 season, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.
Columbus was one of 10 cities under initial consideration, but that list was reportedly slashed to six Saturday. Las Vegas, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Toronto are among the cities still in the mix.
"They had a lot of positives about our presentation, but they've gone in a different direction," Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "It's disappointing, but we were also among the last few cities to be considered. You take the positives along with the disappointment and you move on."
The NHL is expected to announce its decision on its two hub cities by the end of this week. The league is reportedly not considering delaying its tentative July 10 start date for training camps despite 11 players testing positive for COVID-19 during Phase 2 of its return-to-play plan.
Veteran forward Chris Thorburn announced Monday that he has officially retired from professional hockey.
Thorburn, 37, was unsigned for the 2019-20 campaign and last suited up for the St. Louis Blues, winning the Stanley Cup last year.
"It was an unbelievable ride with a storybook ending. As tough as it is to close this chapter, I am excited for the new adventures ahead for myself and my family," Thorburn said.
The Buffalo Sabres drafted Thorburn 50th overall in 2001. He had stints with the Sabres, Penguins, Thrashers, Jets, and Blues over his 14-year career.
The 2021 World Championship will take place from May 21 to June 6, the IIHF announced Monday.
The tournament will be split between Minsk, Belarus, and Riga, Latvia. The 16-team field will be divided into two groups. Group A features Belarus, Russia, Sweden, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovakia, Denmark, and Great Britain. Group B includes Latvia, Canada, Finland, United States, Germany, Norway, Italy, and Kazakhstan.
This year's World Championship was supposed to be held in Switzerland in May but was canceled in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Finland defeated Canada in last year's final to capture gold.
Vince Vaughn's fast-talking everyman LaFleur shines as the only clear-minded inhabitant of the chaotic world of semi-professional dodgeball, and the foil to the over-the-top fitness guru White Goodman (Ben Stiller), leader of the rival Globo Gym Purple Cobras.
99. Robert Hatch
"Escape to Victory" (1981)
Though far from his signature sports role, Sylvester Stallone is every bit the underdog hero as Hatch, a World War II prisoner of war who uses a soccer match versus his German captors as cover to orchestrate an escape for his fellow Allied soldiers.
98. Jack Elliot
"Mr. Baseball" (1992)
Elliot (Tom Selleck) is a brash and arrogant veteran ballplayer whose world is turned upside down when the New York Yankees ship him off to Japan. The slugger is forced to contend with the high expectations of being dubbed "Mr. Baseball," while also overcoming cultural differences and a pitch he can't hit called the shuuto.
97. Walter Sobchak
'The Big Lebowski' (1998)
Mondadori Portfolio / Mondadori Portfolio / Getty
John Goodman's paranoid Vietnam War vet Walter highlights a film featuring many zany characters. The Dude's foul-tempered bowling buddy is quick to fly off the handle if an opponent dares to violate the rules of the lanes.
"Smokey, my friend, you're entering a world of pain. If you mark that frame an eight, you're entering a world of pain," Walter says while brandishing his sidearm.
96. Phil Brickma
"Rookie of the Year" (1993)
Brickma (Daniel Stern), the wacky Chicago Cubs pitching coach in "Rookie of the Year," is supposed to mentor flame-throwing Little Leaguer Henry Rowengartner. Instead, he amuses the audience with his nonsensical advice and hilarious blunders, like getting himself trapped between two hotel-room doors.
95. Julie 'The Cat' Gaffney
"D2: The Mighty Ducks" (1994) and "D3: The Mighty Ducks" (1996)
Joining the series for the second and third films, fierce and confident goalie Julie (Columbe Jacobsen-Derstine) is a welcome addition to the Ducks. "The Cat" comes up clutch for Team USA, stonewalling Iceland's top player during a shootout to cap the team's tournament win at the Junior Goodwill Games.
94. Cole Trickle
"Days of Thunder" (1990)
On paper, Tom Cruise and NASCAR is the perfect marriage of actor and subject - a fearless, physical performer, and a sport in which fearing anything could lead to a tragic end. Trickle is right out of the Cruise playbook, as he's basically Maverick from "Top Gun," but on a blacktop. Even 30 years later, the race sequences never fail to get the blood pumping.
93. Tong Po
"Kickboxer" (1989) and "Kickboxer 2: The Road Back" (1991)
Michel Qissi stars as Tong Po opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in this 1989 sports action-revenge flick pitting the two combatants against each other after the villainous Muay Thai fighter paralyzes Van Damme's brother during a match. Qissi returned to play Po in the sequel, which didn't include Van Damme.
92. Henry Rowengartner
"Rookie of the Year" (1993)
After an accident gives him incredible pitching talent, Rowengartner (Thomas Ian Nicholas), a previously unskilled Little Leaguer, helps transform the middling Cubs into a major-league powerhouse, all while trying to balance the challenges of living the big-league life with being a teenager.
91. Lola Bunny
"Space Jam" (1996)
Like many other female characters in the "Looney Tunes" franchise, Lola Bunny (voiced by Kath Soucie) didn't get the central role that she deserved. The filmmakers did subvert some of that historical baggage with a recurring "don't call me doll" bit, but Lola could - and should - have been much more than Bugs' love interest; something that "Space Jam: A New Legacy" will hopefully correct. Despite the filmmakers' faults, Lola is an instantly recognizable character from the canon, and her on-court skills - as evidenced above - are easily the best of any non-Michael Jordan figure in the movie.
