World Cup of Hockey. Players had gone four months since any game action when NHL camps opened July 13 and they started preparing to jump right into the Stanley Cup playoffs.A lengthy, unscheduled break because of a pandemic is something new for all involved, but the World Cup experience of transitioning from time off directly into meaningful competition is something the more than 100 players left from that tournament can draw on during the NHL’s restart.
The lessons learned — good and bad — could determine who packs up early and who battles for hockey's storied trophy.“It’s very similar to that,” Crosby said. “You kind of have a short, abbreviated training camp and then you’re right into it.