Can Edmonton support being an NHL hub city? Will it be jeopardized by recent coronavirus cases?

As Penguins fans ready themselves for the playoffs in the coronavirus era, the presumptive hub cities for the NHL’s return to play are Edmonton and Toronto.

Part of the reason Edmonton was chosen is because Canada has contained its covid-19 outbreak much better than America. And Las Vegas — the previous favorite — had a recent spike.

Unfortunately, Edmonton is suddenly going through a rise in cases, too.

Edmonton’s Misericordia Hospital is effectively shutting its doors to the public to battle a “full facility” COVID-19 outbreak that has now left three patients dead and another 20 patients and 15 staff infected.#yeg #COVID19Abhttps://t.co/t0f4kaFHDF

— Edmonton Journal (@edmontonjournal) July 8, 2020

So will that cost Edmonton its hub city status?

It doesn’t appear that way. The train may be too far down the tracks for the NHL to reverse course now. Also, for as bad of a pop as that may be by Edmonton’s standard, at least it’s localized.

And, at this point, where else is the league going to go if they plan on starting games on Aug. 1?

Plus, as Sportsnet’s Mark Spector tells us in Thursday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast, the city is already crawling with NHL officials trying to get the city “red up” for Western Conference action.

Spector gives us some great insight as to how “the bubble” is going to be built in Alberta and how it may mirror plans for the Penguins in Toronto.

Edmonton is one of the smaller metropolitan areas in North American sports. It ranks 43rd overall. But that could aid the cause of getting the Stanley Cup playoffs completed. Spector explains how.

Spector has also spent a lot of time covering hockey games in Pittsburgh. He explains — in remarkably precise Pittsburgh geographical terms — how the bubble map is going to be laid out so as to protect the players from infection.

We also get into how Edmonton is going to great lengths to make sure the Oilers don’t enjoy any home ice advantage, if, in fact, the NHL has the Western teams play in the west and the Eastern teams play in the east, as is anticipated at this point.

Also, extreme efforts are being made to see that the players have safe, outdoor recreational activities within the bubble, so they don’t feel the need to stray outside of it in their free time.

We get into all that, the potential for an NCAA Tournament-style TV schedule for the NHL, and what the arrival of the playoffs could mean for Edmonton’s economy.

Listen: Tim Benz and Sportsnet’s Mark Spector discuss how things will go in Edmonton, one of the presumptive NHL hub cities