Bridgewater native and former Boston Bruin Glen Murray says hockey in the middle of summer will be weird but he’s eagerly awaiting it.
“It’s a great game and I know most Canadians, myself included can’t wait especially considering what’s gone on in recent months.”
The NHL announced an approved 24-team playoff format on May 22 but no games have been scheduled as of yet.
Before that can be done the league needs to select two cities that will host the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“The league will not do anything until it’s absolutely safe to do so and a big part of that is finding cities that work best,” said Murray
Toronto and Edmonton have been tipped as likely candidates for hub cities though it is highly unlikely the league would select two cities in Canada.
When hockey does startup there will be some growing pains according to Murray, “They’ll need to get back in shape but I imagine with the resources available once they are training and playing regularly it should take about 10 days for them to get close to normal.”
While the league will do it’s best to return safely even that might not be enough for some players. Murray says “It’s possible some (players) won’t want to play whether they have a family member whos medically compromised or a young child, I can see that.”
Ultimately no one knows for certain what and who will be involved should the NHL resume, but Murray is confident viewers will tune in if it’s available.
Murray now lives in California with his family and says they are all healthy and doing well, though he is unsure if he will be able to return home to Bridgewater this summer as he normally does due to travel restrictions. In recent years he has been working as the Los Angeles King’s Head of Player Development.
In his 16 year NHL career he racked up 651 points in 1,009 career games, before which he plied his trade with the Bridgewater Mustangs (now the UPS Store South Shore Mustangs).
