The NHL will officially be back in just a few short days and we’re running through the qualifying round matchups on this week’s show. We touch on each series and point out what to watch for and who we’re favoring in each matchup. We also offer up our picks for Cup finalists despite the many pitfalls that the combined layoff and unusual nature of this year’s playoff format creates.
Julie Stewart-Binks, host of Drinks with Binks and Call it a Night with Julie Stewart-Binks on fubo Sports Network joined the show this week for a wide ranging conversation that touched on everything from the NHL bubble, qualifiers and Premier League soccer.
We discuss how COVID-19 has altered the landscape for how sports are going to be broadcast in addition to how her shows have been affected by coronavirus as well. Along the way we touch on NHL hub cities, the pros and cons of how sports may return and get a deeper look into the two shows Julie hosts on fubo Sports Network.
You can catch Drinks with Binks on the fubo Sports Network on Friday’s at 8:00 or 24/7 on www.fubosportsnetwork.com as well as Pluto, XUMO, The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Vizio, and to subscribers to fuboTV. If you want to learn more about fubo and fuboSN, visit www.fubosportsnetwork.com or follow them at @fubosports on social. Also, be sure to follow Julie on Twitter and enjoy the show.
With new news being reported about the schedule the NHL will be following for completing the 2019-20 season, we run through the key dates for the coming months on this week’s show. This includes the schedule for the qualifying round and playoffs, when the offseason will begin and when the 2020-21 season is set to start. We run through the entire schedule and how it could affect not just the end of the 2020 season, but how the coming year could look due to fatigue, rust and other extenuating circumstances. Also on the show are segments on Lindy Ruff’s hiring in New Jersey, Judd Brackett being hired by the Wild and the report that Rick Dudley won’t be coming to Buffalo.
A quick episode this week highlighting the looming draft lottery, what the Sabres have in store in the top 10 of this year’s draft and a brief conversation on Alexander Mogilny missing out on the Hockey Hall of Fame yet again.
The utterly unprecedented response to COVID-19 has ground practically everything to a halt around the world. Hockey hasn’t been immune to that as leagues throughout North America and Europe have paused or canceled their seasons while the NHL is on indefinite hiatus.
The stoppage has left everyone wondering if or when the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be played. And if they’re played, what format will the league utilize? A lot of rumors have been floated thus far. One rumored format would see the playoffs expanded to account for a 24-team field. A plan formulated by some players would even see regular season games played. But just Wednesday, Pierre LeBrun quoted Bill Daly as saying anything they pursue would not impact the ability to play a full year in 2020-21.
There are so many balls up in the air at the moment. Some days it seems as if leagues, especially the NHL, are anticipating a quick return to play. Other days it seems as if we may not see any action again until the fall. With the CDC’s latest recommendations, it seems like the earliest we’d see any sports return would be June. Possibly late May.
I find it very hard to believe the NHL would be able to return with any sort of a regular season slate. The proposal reported by TSN would see preparations and play extend all the way into October, which seems preposterous to me. Given the current state of affairs, it seems that the most logical solution is for the league to adopt a modified playoff format and salvage what they can of the 2019-20 season. Continue reading
Two in the Box 