Most details about the restart were clear before, but now the NHLPA player union has approved the proposed plan.

"This is a significant step for the players and club owners and for our sport in these difficult and uncertain times," NHLPA boss Don Fehr said in a statement.

At the same time, the NHL announces that it will be the Canadian cities of Edmonton and Toronto that will host the closing matches, which Canadian media has previously revealed. Edmonton will then be the venue for the semi-finals and finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The first game will be played in Edmonton at 8 pm Swedish time, Saturday, August 1st. Then up to three matches per day in each city follow for nine days before the playoffs begin.

Everyone is tested every day

"We know that all our fans are overjoyed about our return on ice next month, and that has been our goal all along since we paused the league on March 12," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement from the NHL.

Players who, for health reasons, do not want to participate in the playoffs are allowed to refrain, they must now notify their respective teams in writing within three days.

Each team may have a maximum of 52 people inside the security zones that make up arenas and hotels in each city, 31 of which may be players.

Everyone should be tested for covid-19 every day, a total of 1,248 tests per day initially. Earlier, the NHL has stated that 35 players have tested positive for the virus.

This is how the first round games are played:
Carolina - NY Rangers, NY Islanders - Florida, Pittsburgh - Montreal, Edmonton - Chicago, Calgary - Winnipeg
Toronto - Columbus, Vancouver - Minnesota, Nashville - Arizona, Boston - Philadelphia, Colorado - St. Louis, Tampa - Washington, Vegas - Dallas.

CLIP: Henrik Lundqvist: "Right now there are many question marks" (July 7, 2020)

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