Bettman: Plan is to hold 22 NHL draft in person in Montreal
Commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday night the plan is to hold the 2022 NHL draft at Bell Centre in Montreal, which is where the 2020 event was scheduled to take place before the pandemic forced the festivities online.
The Canadian Press Gary Bettman NHL Draft
SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) Commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday night the plan is to hold the 2022 NHL draft at Bell Centre in Montreal, which is where the 2020 event was scheduled to take place before the pandemic forced the festivities online.
The 2021 draft was the second to be held virtually with team staff in their home cities. Bettman ran the draft from the NHL Network studio in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Stephen Whyno
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman walks next to Lake Union after taking part in an interview Wednesday, July 21, 2021, during the Seattle Kraken s expansion draft event in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) July 23, 2021 - 5:58 PM
SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) â Commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday night the plan is to hold the 2022 NHL draft at Bell Centre in Montreal, which is where the 2020 event was scheduled to take place before the pandemic forced the festivities online.
The 2021 draft was the second to be held virtually with team staff in their home cities. Bettman ran the draft from the NHL Network studio in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Bettman told The Associated Press the league is aiming for full arenas at the start of next season and an in-person draft in Montreal but would be ready to adjust as circumstances dictate.
If NHL players go to the Olympics, the Stanley Cup would likely be handed out in late June with the draft pushed to July. There is currently no agreement in place between the league, players and international officials to guarantee participation in Beijing in February.
The schedule for next season that was released Thursday night includes an Olympic break from Feb. 7-22. Bettman said negotiations with the Players Association, International Ice Hockey Federation and International Olympic Committee are ongoing.
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It was the ice hockey equivalent of a virtual debutante party.
The next generation of NHL stars took initial strides onto a global stage Friday night when the league held the first round of its annual selection process from myriad North American sites.
The draft was broadcast live on ESPN2 in Bristol, Connecticut, while NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman appeared from the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Bettman pivoted to various team executives and personnel at their respective facilities for the actual picks, which were followed by the requisite reaction shots with the players and their families.
It was the second straight remote draft session for the NHL, though Bettman said the league will return to an in-person draft next year at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
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