The Game Expectations: How will it work, and Are Fans Attending the Games?

With the NHL games' squeezed timeline, there wouldn't be any exhibition games, as is usually the case. This time, it will be straight to the games that count. The games are planned to be played in the home arenas of the participating teams. However, the only backside to this is that most of the home arenas will not host fans in the initial part of the season. There is hope that some arenas will kick off with a percentage of fans attending while others will wait until the league is ripe.  The NHL organizers' sluggish tendency to allow fans back into the arenas is mainly due to the NHL game venues' makeup. These venues aren't as large and open-aired as the MLB and NFL venues. So maintaining social distancing in the NHL arenas becomes quite a challenge. The NHL arena is built complete with a roof, has smaller walkways, and always accommodates smaller attendances. However, the NHL has no difference in the rules if they need to allow fans back into the arenas. The rules are similar to those followed by the NFL and MLB. The Possible Comeback Rules for Fans The rules are simple. For instance, the participating teams are required to do temperature checks on fans when entering the arenas. Every fan in the arena must have their masks throughout times except when eating or drinking at designated areas.  Additionally, seats are widespread to ensure fans are separated by safe distances between them to minimize contact. Another vital thing NHL officials should be checking is the arrival of fans and fans' tailgating culture.  During arrival, fans are more likely to get closer and interact at a closer distance. That means more restrictions are likely to come up at the arenas' gates than the usual regulations fans got used to. Fans could be assigned specific parking spaces, arrival time, and arrival gates to minimize the build-up of numbers in the gates. The Possible Actual Numbers of Fans to Be Allowed In Across other leagues, fans have been allowed to enter the stadiums and arenas for live viewership. The NFL, for instance, began opening its doors to fans by allowing between 7,000 and 22,000 fans at a time. These numbers are expected to rise if the public health situation improves. If NHL team leaders, like Eugene Melnyk, whose profile is showcased on this website, will go by similar numbers, crowd sizes would be about 4,000 people. The team leaders and the NHL organizers will have the local governments to contend with if they need fans to be allowed back into their home arenas.  If NHL teams follow the laid down rules, then all the teams will probably be opening their doors for fans but at limited percentages of the total capacities. Some counties in Canada and the US, where the NHL teams are based, are still restricting locals' movement, making it a team-by-team situation. Some teams will be allowed to allow fans back into their arenas, while some will not.