NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said that the league will skip the remainder of the regular season and jump straight into the playoffs if hockey resumes at all.
The NHL plans to resume training camps no later than July 1 with the playoffs set to begin later in the month.
The league plans to hold the playoffs at two hub cities. Las Vegas is one of 10 cities in contention.
“We will not set dates, choose sites or begin to play until we know it is appropriate and prudent and are approved to do so,” Bettman said.
Bettman said that the league plans to run a full 82-game schedule for the 2020-21 season.
The NHL’s announcement should please sportsbooks eager to see leagues return.
Sports betting fell off a cliff after the initial spread of COVID-19 in mid-March. In recent weeks Korean baseball, UFC, NASCAR and Bundesliga have returned to action.
The PGA expects to resume play on June 11.
Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association have yet to announce definitive plans to return.