Morning Flurries: Just when are we getting hockey back?

It’s been over two full months since the Avalanche last played a hockey game and while the NFL season is in full swing, that just doesn’t always do it for us hockey nerds. Recently, the NBA and NBPA tentatively approved a start date for the 2020-2021 season; a shortened 72-game schedule set to begin on December 22^nd.

With that in mind, us in the hockey community are left wondering when the NHL could realistically announce the start to their season. While nothing has officially been announced, a tentative plan for January 1^st is still down. However, aside from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the logistical issues therein including lost fan revenue, which hits the NHL harder than any of the other three major American professional sports leagues, NBA health officials are expressing concern over a short offseason and quick restart. These same concerns can realistically be echoed by the NHL and only serve to make the start date for the 2020-2021 season (or should we just call it the 2021 season?) even murkier.

As part of the NHL’s return-to-play strategy, Gary Bettman and Co. are considering temporarily shifting division structure in favor of a system that would house all seven Canadian NHL clubs in one division with the remaining 24 teams in the States making up the other three. We can all infer that this is probably in response to the continued travel restrictions in response to COVID.

If you haven’t followed the developments with the Quincey family, you can catch up with this in-depth look into the inspiring battle former Avs defenseman Kyle Quincey’s son Axl’s has had with Ependymoma.

Bayne Pettinger, an up-and-coming NHL player agent, made the brave decision to come out recently. Many NHL stars, including our old friend Tyson Barrie, expressed their full support of Bayne. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun had the privilege to sit down with Bayne to hear his personal, powerful, and very humbling story. We love you, Tyson - never change!