By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The Pens will open training camp for the 2020-21 season at PPG Paints Arena on Jan. 3.
The NHL and the NHLPA officially agreed to plans to play a 56-game season that will begin on Jan. 13.
“We’re excited to be back, and Penguins players are ready to start skating next week at PPG Paints Arena,” said David Morehouse, president and CEO of the Penguins in a release.
“This great news means so much for our ownership, our players, the City of Pittsburgh, our partners and the best fans in hockey. We thank our fans for standing with us during these challenging times, and we are ready to compete for another Stanley Cup.”
For this upcoming season, the Penguins will be in the East Division, along with Boston, Buffalo, New Jersey, the New York Islanders, the New York Rangers, Philadelphia and Washington.
Games are expected to be played inside each team’s home arena, though a limited amount or no fans are expected to be permitted in the building. According to the NHL, if conditions change, they are prepared to play games at a neutral site.
When it comes to Pens fans, they say the NHL will follow state and local safety and arena capacity protocols. When fans are allowed, season ticket holders will get priority, likely by a lottery system.
In a change, according to reports, the playoffs this season will be determined strictly by division, with the top four seeds from each division qualifying for the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The start date for the 2020-21 NHL season is set for Jan. 13, though no matchups or season schedules have been released yet.
Training camp will begin on Jan. 3 for teams that qualified for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs and the seven teams that were not part of the bubbles in Edmonton or Toronto, their training camps will be permitted to begin training camps as early as Dec. 31.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are expected to conclude in mid-July, with the NHL planning to begin the 2021-2022 season on its normal schedule in October.
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