Rogers Place in Edmonton, one of the two arenas that the NHL is using as a hub to restart its season this summer, suffered water damage Thursday night when a significant storm hit the city.
In a statement, Oilers Entertainment Group said it was evaluating the damage and “at this time we are confident that it will not hinder our planning and preparation and that we will be ready to organize the return of NHL hockey as a central city.”
The Western Conference teams are slated to travel to Edmonton on July 26, with exhibition games starting July 28 and significant games starting August 1. Edmonton will also host the conference finals and the Stanley Cup Finals, absorbing the remaining teams from the Eastern Conference, which are beginning the restart in Toronto.
According to arena management, the initial damage was to the “Ford Hall terminal,” which is a lobby outside the entrance, as well as “some other leaks in other parts of the building.”
The NHL had narrowed its roster to 10 possible core cities, but ended up selecting two in Canada, rejecting Las Vegas, a rumored favorite, because it felt more comfortable in staging games in areas where the coronavirus was under better control. Edmonton has had only 15 COVID-19 deaths since the NHL was stopped on March 12.
Rogers Place is only 4 years old. The NHL is creating an “Olympic Village” setup in a district around the arena. The teams are staying at a hotel connected to Rogers Place and other walkable hotels. It is unclear whether the hotels also suffered damage from the storm.
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