When the NHL first revealed its plan to resume competition amidst the coronavirus pandemic, it listed 10 potential sites that could serve as “hub cities.” The league’s 24 playoff teams would be divided so playoff games could be contested under as close to a bubble as possible.
That included seven spots in the United States — Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Pittsburgh. Three more were in Canada: Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver. Non-NHL cities, such as communities in North Dakota, had originally been considered but dropped.
There was a lot of speculation that at least one, if not both hubs, would be in America, where 24 of its 31 franchises reside and the NHL is forever desperate to tap into a bigger, broader market of fans.