Hockey is Back: Canes Return to Play on Aug. 1

Mark your calendars because hockey is officially back.
The National Hockey League and its Players' Association each ratified the Return to Play Plan, in addition to a four-year extension of the Collective Bargaining Agreement on Friday, making a summer hockey tournament and extended labor peace a reality.

The Carolina Hurricanes are among the 24 teams returning to play in two hub cities. The Eastern Conference will be located in Toronto, and the Western Conference will be located in Edmonton, while the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final will shift solely to Edmonton.
WILLIAMS, CANES REVVING UP FOR POSTSEASON
The Canes will face off with the New York Rangers in a best-of-five Stanley Cup Qualifier beginning Saturday, Aug. 1. Here is the schedule for the Canes' qualifying round match-up.
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The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is set to begin on Tuesday, Aug. 11. The Conference Finals are tentatively slated to begin Tuesday, Sept. 8, with puck dropping on the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday, Sept. 22 and ending no later than Sunday, Oct. 4.
The Canes will
open training camp in Phase 3
of the Return to Play Plan on Monday, July 13 at PNC Arena. The team is carrying
29 players
, including four goaltenders. Brett Pesce (shoulder) is unable to participate. Phase 3 will feature two weeks of on-ice workouts at PNC Arena prior to the Canes' departure for Toronto, the Eastern Conference hub city, on Sunday, July 26. There, the team will train for an additional five days, including one exhibition game against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, July 29 (4 p.m., FOX Sports Carolinas, 99.9 The Fan), before squaring off against the Rangers in the qualifying round.