Skip to content

Mayor Tory: NHL's plans for Toronto hub are 'incredibly detailed'

Steve Russell / Toronto Star / Getty

Toronto mayor John Tory addressed reports that the city will be one of the NHL's hub locations, saying the league has provided a thorough plan outlining safety measures.

"They had incredibly detailed disinfection and health protection measures that were in place even within the bubble to make sure they covered every angle they possibly could from the standpoint of making sure they met our public-health objectives. At least it would appear that way from what I saw," Tory said during a Thursday press conference, according to The Canadian Press.

Toronto and Edmonton have reportedly been chosen as the NHL's two hub destinations for the expanded playoffs "barring any last-minute complications," according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

The league was originally working with a list of 10 potential cities, but a spike in COVID-19 cases across the United States appears to have shifted the NHL's focus to Canada. There were 794 active cases as of July 1 in Toronto, according to the city's data.

Teams will be split into groups of 12 during the potential restart. The Western Conference teams will play in Edmonton, and the Eastern Conference clubs will gather in Toronto.

In Toronto's plan, players would stay in a 40-acre campus-like village on the Exhibition Place grounds, which includes Toronto FC's BMO Field, the Toronto Raptors' OVO Athletic Centre, the Toronto Marlies' Coca-Cola Coliseum, and the 404-room Hotel X.

Before anything is made official, the NHL and NHLPA need to agree upon and ratify a new collective bargaining agreement, which both sides are working on as the league pushes to begin Phase 3 (the opening of training camps) on July 10.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox