Here’s the case for St. Paul as an NHL playoffs ‘hub city’

In a perfect world, according to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, the league will back playing games sometime in late July or early August.

That target timeline comes in response to the NHL announcing a cumbersome Return to Play Plan in which 24 teams will fast-forward to the postseason with the end goal of crowing a Stanley Cup champion amid the coronavirus pandemic.

While Monday’s news was encouraging for hockey fans eager to see the 2019-20 season played out, the reality is there remain many hoops to jump through over the next several weeks, which is why Bettman isn’t yet willing to provide any hard dates.

“If it has to slide more, then it’ll slide,” Bettman said. “Anybody who gives a date is guessing.”

If the NHL returns at any point this summer, it will do so in two hub cities, and as of Wednesday, the Twin Cities were on the shortlist of contenders that also includes Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas, Edmonton, Alberta; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Pittsburgh; Toronto; and Vancouver.

“We believe that all of those cities as a general matter could be able to host us,” Bettman said. “We don’t need to make a decision today.”

Soon, though, and because of the logistics involved in putting 24 teams back on the ice in just two rinks, it likely has to happen sooner rather than later. Among the league’s considerations: COVID-19 conditions, testing capacity, government regulations, practice rink availability, and hotel availability and inventory.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a location that fits those criteria better than the Twin Cities. Here’s how it stacks up:

As of Wednesday afternoon, there were roughly 1,731,291 confirmed cases of COVID-19 throughout the United States and more than 100,000 reported deaths. In comparison, Minnesota has 22,464 confirmed cases and 932 confirmed COVID-related deaths.

Of the U.S. locations confirmed to be on the hub shortlist, only Nevada has fewer confirmed cases of COVID-19 than Minnesota — although it has also tested fewer people.

Perhaps the biggest thing working against Minnesota is that various models show the state’s projected peak coming in July; that could deter the NHL from sending 12 teams to Minnesota.

While other states have administered more tests to date, Minnesota has the testing capacity to justify it as a viable option. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, there have been approximately 216,532 completed tests as of Wednesday afternoon.

Moreover, there is actually an excess of tests throughout Minnesota, with health officials urging more people to get tested. In the NHL’s proposed protocol, players would be tested every evening and learn the results before leaving their hotel rooms the next morning.

With most states across the United States slowly starting to reopen, U.S. locations might be at an advantage over Canadian cities still under stricter regulations. Minnesota would have to loosen restrictions, as well.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Tim Walz’s office has limited gatherings to 10 or fewer people, which obviously wouldn’t be conducive to an NHL game. This will likely change in the coming weeks so it’s difficult to predict where Minnesota stands on this criterion.

There likely isn’t a place in the shortlist of 10 contenders with more available ice than the Twin Cities.

Aside from the state-of-the-art TRIA Rink in St. Paul, there are dozens of practice rinks within a short drive of Xcel Energy Center that could be made available to NHL teams. Some of those options include St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights, Braemar Arena in Edina, and the Super Rink at National Sports Center in Blaine, which will have four sheets open by June 8.

This puts the Twin Cities as a massive advantage over a place such as, say, Las Vegas.

This likely isn’t going to be an issue for any of the contenders. Most large metropolises have the available hotel space to house 12 teams. That includes a host of hotels within a stone’s throw of the X, including the luxury St. Paul Hotel, the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront and the Hyatt Place St. Paul. Various hotels in Minneapolis or near Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport would fit the bill, as well.