NHL commissioner Gary Bettman does not anticipate fans being allowed back into the majority of arenas this season and estimated a revenue shortfall of at least $1 billion as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It would be cheaper for us to shut the door and not play," Bettman said on Monday on a Zoom teleconference with the media that also included deputy commissioner Bill Daly and other league executives. "The magnitude of the loss starts with a ‘B.’ We’re out of the ‘M’ range and into the ‘B’ range. It’s just what we have to deal with and what clubs have decided they have to do.