Sean Couturier #14 of the Philadelphia Flyers battles for position after a faceoff with Jake DeBrusk #74 of the Boston Bruins in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 10, 2020. /VCG
The National Hockey League's virus-interrupted season will restart on August 1 with the Stanley Cup playoffs in Canada after players ratified a return-to-play plan and extension to its labor deal.
There were three weeks and 189 games left in this year's regular season when play was suspended in March, but the league eventually declared the regular season over in favor of getting right into the post season.
"We know that all of our fans are excited about our return to the ice next month and that has been our goal since we paused our season on March 12, " Commissioner Gary Bettman said.
Jonas Siegenthaler #34 of the Washington Capitals skates past Tyler Pitlick #18 of the Philadelphia Flyers in Washington, D.C., March 4, 2020. /VCG
Playoffs will now start next month in Edmonton and Toronto without fans. The NHL's Western Conference teams will play in Edmonton while the Eastern Conference teams will be in Toronto.
Edmonton will host both conference finals and the Stanley Cup Final. If all proceeds as planned, the Stanley Cup Final, which is traditionally awarded in June, will begin in late September, with the trophy to be presented in October and the 2020-2021 season will be getting underway in December.
The league has also agreed a four-year extension to the current collective bargaining agreement with the NHL Players' Association.
NHLPA executive director Don Fehr called the deal "a meaningful step forward for the players and owners, and for our game, in a difficult and uncertain time.
"Most importantly, we are pleased to be able to bring NHL hockey back to the fans," he said.