( Photo Credit: STUART GARFIELD 0

By: Jess Belmosto| Follow me on Twitter: @jessbelmosto

There have been several cities thrown around in conversation for candidacy to be a hub city in the return of the NHL playoffs. Boston has not been mentioned. Jenna West from Sports Illustrated reported on June 23 there were six teams with their hat in the race.

  • Vancouver
  • Las Vegas
  • Los Angelos
  • Edmonton
  • Chicago
  • Toronto

We know now that Vancouver is no longer part of the conversation.

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While the goal is to get it down to two cities, what if the best option isn’t even in the race? Is it possible that the league said no to Boston before the curve was flattened? Maybe the Jacobs family isn’t interested.

The Curve is Flattened

There are a number of possibilities of why Boston hadn’t been mentioned. Let’s talk about why it should be in the conversation.

Massachusetts and its capitol are no longer hot spots. Governor Charlie Baker has been diligent in monitoring numbers as the state lifts restrictions. Boston is in a position where they could open their doors and welcome hockey back into the beloved TD Garden.

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No Easy Way To Decide

There’s obviously a lot at stake when it comes to cities welcoming “outsiders” for extended periods of time for the first time in over three months. This is peak Cape time. Everyone wants to see the Mayflower and then a trip over the Bourne Bridge to a crowded beach.

Under normal circumstances, Massachusetts is prepared for accommodating a mass amount of visitors. While I understand that these are not normal times and the typical tourists stayed home, the focus will be so heavily directed toward keeping spaces clean and prepared for players and staff.

What About The Ice Conditions?

People complain about the ice conditions at TD Garden any chance they get. It’s not the best but it could certainly be worse! Former Bruins beat reporter DJ Bean pointed out why the garden would be okay!

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Final Thoughts

While I do believe the return of sports is just a little bit out of reach right now, I still think Boston should be considered. If it’s not Plan A it should certainly be someone’s Plan B.

Check out the new Black N’ Gold Hockey Podcast episode 184 that we recorded below on 6-28-20! You can find our show on many worldwide platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, SoundCloud, and Stitcher!

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