The Detroit Red Wings posted something of a, “Welcome back, everybody!” press release this afternoon:
As you may have seen, the NHL provided an exciting update on the 2021 start date today, and we are thrilled that Red Wings hockey is back!
The regular season is scheduled to start on January 13, with Training Camp permitted to open as early as December 31. We expect our complete schedule to be announced soon, so stay tuned!
Please note that we continue to work with local and state government officials, and public health experts, regarding the possibility and timing of hosting fans at Little Caesars Arena this season. We will provide more clarity and details as specific information becomes available.
We can’t wait to see you back at Little Caesars Arena as soon as possible. In the meantime, please follow and engage with us on social media @DetroitRedWings and online at DetroitRedWings.com, and watch us all season long on Fox Sports Detroit!
Thank you for your ongoing support, Hockeytown. #LGRW With Appreciation, Detroit Red Wings
The Blackhawks will play 56 games in the 2021 NHL season, which was officially announced Sunday by the league.
Eight of those games will be against the Red Wings.
Indeed, seven seasons after the historical rivals were separated by the Wings’ move to the Eastern Conference in 2013, the Hawks and Wings’ rivalry will return in full force — albeit for one year only.
That’s because, with the ongoing pandemic-related Canadian border closure, the league — as had been rumored for months — realigned the 24 U.S. teams into three divisions of eight teams each and the seven Canadian teams into one “North Division.” Teams will exclusively play intra-divisional opponents.
For the Hawks, that means their 2021 Central Division opponents will be the Wings, Stars, Blue Jackets, Predators, Hurricanes, Panthers and Lightning — a list that includes both 2020 Stanley Cup finalists and the home of beloved former coach Joel Quenneville.
The Wings and Hawks’ eight planned 2021 meetings will match their total from the past four seasons combined. In 2019-20, the Hawks won 4-2 at home Jan. 5 and lost 2-1 in Detroit on March 6, their final road game before the shutdown.
I can confirm NHL teams can now put a sponsor’s branding/logo on helmets starting this 2020-21 season, subject to category restrictions.— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) December 20, 2020
Starting training camp Dec. 31 would give the Wings two weeks to prepare for what will be their first game since March 10, when a loss the Hurricanes ensured a 17-49-5 finish to the 2019-20 season. There won’t be any exhibition games.
The Wings will be integrating several new players after general manager Steve Yzerman used the offseason to forwards Bobby Ryan and Vladislav Namestnikov, defensemen Marc Staal, Jon Merrill and Troy Stecher, and goaltender Thomas Greiss.
Detroit Red Wings: Will they be able to find secondary scoring?
There’s no shortage of questions for the league’s reigning last-place team, but the biggest may be how the Red Wings can find some scoring beyond their top line of Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi. Detroit gave itself a chance this offseason by adding Bobby Ryan and Vladislav Namestnikov, but this answer will also hinge significantly on the progress of Filip Zadina in his first full NHL season. Those three and Robby Fabbri make up Detroit’s likely pool for a second line, and should give the Red Wings much more firepower to work with if everyone stays healthy. It’s still likely not going to be enough to score with the league’s best, but those additions, combined with Zadina’s development, should make Detroit much more competitive. -Max Bultman
Continued (paywall); if the Wings can’t score more regularly, they won’t win many games.
The NHL and NHLPA will release the health and safety protocols, transition rules and critical dates calendar as well as the 2020-21 schedule in the coming days.
Here is a list of some of those significant dates, according to Sportsnet.ca and tsa.ca:
Start of training camp for non-playoff teams: Dec. 31
Start of training camp for playoff teams: Jan. 3
Trade deadline: April 12
End of regular season: May 8
Date for teams to submit protected lists for expansion draft: July 17
Seattle expansion draft: July 21
Entry draft: July 23-24
Start of free agency: July 28
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, players on the Red Wings and six other non-playoff teams have until Thursday to decide whether to opt-out of the season or attend training camp while others have until Dec. 27 to decide.
Teams have the option to “toll” the contracts of players who opt out, meaning they will own their rights for another season.
National Hockey League, National Hockey League Players’ Association Announce Plans for 2020-21 Regular Season and Playoffs
NEW YORK / TORONTO (Dec. 20, 2020) – The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and National Hockey League (NHL) announced today an agreement to play a 2020-21 regular-season schedule of 56 games beginning Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, and concluding on May 8. As part of the agreement, the Stanley Cup Playoffs would feature 16 teams in the traditional best-of-seven, four-round format and conclude around mid-July with the plan of returning to a “normal” hockey calendar for the 2021-22 season (regular season beginning in October). The NHL and NHLPA will release the Health and Safety Protocols, transition rules and critical dates calendar as well as the 2020-21 schedule in the coming days.
Given the unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHLPA and the NHL intend to be flexible and adaptable in their approach during the coming weeks to ensure compliance with directives from both local and national governmental and health authorities focusing on the health and safety of the players, other game-related personnel and the communities in which we play. The priority will continue to be focused on the health and safety of our fans and Players and Club, League, NHLPA and arena personnel.
“The National Hockey League looks forward to the opening of our 2020-21 season, especially since the Return to Play in 2019-20 was so successful in crowning a Stanley Cup champion,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “While we are well aware of the challenges ahead, as was the case last spring and summer, we are continuing to prioritize the health and safety of our participants and the communities in which we live and play. And, as was the case last spring and summer, I thank the NHLPA, particularly Executive Director Don Fehr, for working cooperatively with us to get our League back on the ice.”
“The Players are pleased to have finalized agreements for the upcoming season, which will be unique but also very exciting for the fans and Players alike,” said Don Fehr, NHLPA Executive Director. “During these troubled times, we hope that NHL games will provide fans with some much needed entertainment as the players return to the ice.”
In reaching agreement on the format for the 2020-21 season, the NHL and NHLPA determined that the ongoing closure of the U.S.-Canada border required realignment and the League and the Players also sought to minimize team travel as much as possible by shifting to exclusively intradivisional play. It is the current plan to play games in the home arenas of participating teams while understanding that most arenas will not, at least in the initial part of the season, be able to host fans. However, depending on prevailing conditions both in local markets and across North America, the League will be prepared to play games in one or more “neutral site” venues per division should it become necessary.
For the 2020-21 season, teams will be re-aligned as follows:
Each team in the East, Central and West divisions will play every other team in its division eight times while each team in the North Division will play every other team in its division nine or 10 times.
The top four teams in each division will qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with intradivisional play in the first two rounds (#1 vs. #4; #2 vs. #3). The four teams that advance to the Semifinal Round would be seeded by their regular season points total, with the No. 1 seed playing the No. 4 seed in one series and the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds meeting in the other.
Formal training camps will begin on Jan. 3. There will be no pre-season games. The seven teams that did not participate in the 2019-20 Return to Play will be permitted to open their training camps as early as Dec. 31.
The 20-year-old about his hunt for the World Championship team: “I should have a good chance”
Jonatan Berggren became a goal-scorer for the first time with the Tre Kronor.
Skelleftea’s 20-year-old does not deny that he wants to fight for a spot on the World Championship team.
“I probably have the chance now that I’ve been involved and shown that what I do at home in Skelleftea also works here,” says Berggren after the end of the Channel One Cup.
