Winnipeg won't get hockey back this season even if NHL resumes: Jets source
Winnipeg won't be seeing NHL hockey games in the near future even if the league does resume this season, a source with the Winnipeg Jets says.
The NHL is considering bringing back hockey in a handful of cities — but Winnipeg is not one of the cities being considered, the source said.
The league is weighing using a format where the league would have multiple teams play in four cities with full professional facilities, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday.
"The particular location could be anywhere that isn't a hotspot and has everything we need in terms of the arena and having practice facilities, because if you bring in seven or eight clubs to a particular facility and you're playing lots of games on a regular basis without travel, there does need to be ice for practice," he said during a news conference.
NHL hockey was put on pause indefinitely on March 12 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with 189 regular-season games remaining.
With files from Meaghan Ketcheson