John Tavares of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Phillip Danault of the Montreal Canadiens face off to start an exhibition game prior to the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on July 28, 2020 in Toronto. Credit: Getty Images/Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo
Bubble hockey that counts is finally here for the NHL.
The league paused its season on March 12 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic but, four and a half months later, will re-start games on Saturday and hope that playing in quarantined hub city arena/practice rink/hotel bubbles will allow a Stanley Cup champion to be crowned by the first week of October.