This would be HUGE for the city of Chicago to be one of the host cities for the NHL playoffs.
Chicago is currently one of the four finalists to be considered a "hub city" for the newly planned hockey playoffs. The other three finalists are Las Vegas, Edmonton, and Toronto, but it is rumored that the league will choose one city in Canada and one in the U.S. so we have a great chance here!
To finish the 2019-2020 NHL season, there will be a 24 team tournament played in two different cities in order to reduce player travel and exposure to health risks.
Chicago would use the United Center, home to both the Blackhawks and Bulls, for tournament play while also utilizing the team’s nearby training center, Fifth Third Arena, to house the visiting teams. If chosen, our city would host 12 teams and the other half would play at the other hub site.
If Chicago gets picked, the league would be able to play three games a day at the UC with no fans in the stands, and teams would practice at nearby ice rinks including Fifth Third Arena, and Johnny’s Ice House.
The plan also includes turning McCormick Place into an Olympics-style “athletes village” for the players while also using both the Marriott Marquis Hotel and the Wintrust Arena for more players and team personnel. McCormick Place has been empty for months and it would be awesome to see its facilities and hotel rooms be used during the pandemic.
In order to host the playoffs though, there must be a COVID-19 testing site. The current proposal to the NHL calls for Northwestern Medicine to turn the United Center Atrium, where the Michael Jordan statue stands, into a COVID-19 testing facility capable of doing 800 tests a day.
While there's no scheduled announcement date for the NHL decision yet, training camp for players is set to start on July 10th, and your Chicago Blackhawks will be one of the 24 teams competing in the first round.