SNHU Arena Facebook photo Don't expect the SNHU Arena ice to be put down any time soon for NHL games, according to a New York Post report.

Is the National Hockey League still considering coming to Manchester?

Reports on the possibility have been yay and nay, but the latest is a nay. According to a report in Sunday’s New York Post, don’t bet on it.

Noted Post NHL writer Larry Brooks reported that the idea of remote cities, including Manchester, to be used as the resumption of the NHL season has been shelved in favor of going to a city that houses an NHL franchise.

“We can tell you that while it is true that the NHL has explored the possibility of completing the 2019-20 season in a remote location such as Manchester, N.H., Sixth Avenue (NHL headquarters) has determined that the infrastructure in such a locale would be insufficient to support such a massive endeavor,” Brooks wrote in a story that says the NHL is contemplating a 24-team Stanley Cup Playoff with no regular season games.

The thought of Manchester being used,along with possibly locations in North Dakota, first surfaced in a report a couple of weeks ago and was denied in another report. Then New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu added fuel to the fire, saying on a Boston radio show on Friday that there were indeed talks going on between his office and the NHL.

“I’ve had discussions about that, for sure,” he said. “…We’re working through some of the logistics. But that’s on the table for sure.”

But according to the Post, it’s now off the table. Brooks’ report says that the league is looking for a current NHL venue or venues in a cities that “has been spared the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, whose curve tracks positively, and is located within a state whose social distancing regulations would be relaxed by the tie the first puck is ready to be dropped.”

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