Might good things come to those who wait?
After halting their seasons in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NHL and NBA both are targeting July 30 to resume their 2019-20 campaigns.
But while the NBA already has committed to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., as its host site, the NHL still hasn't decided where games will be played. That delay actually might play in hockey's favor, as NBC Sports Boston's Bruins Insider Joe Haggerty explained Monday on Arbella Early Edition.
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"They've waited until the last possible minute to pick these (host) cities," Haggerty told host Gary Tanguay. "The reason they're doing that is because they want the latest possible data on COVID-19: where there's outbreaks, where there might be problems. They didn't want to run into a situation the NBA is running into now where they picked Orlando, Fla., a long time ago."
Florida has seen a spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases in recent days: The state reported a record-high 4,049 new cases on Saturday alone and now has surpassed 100,000 total confirmed cases. That data could make NBA players, coaches and staff members wary of traveling to one of the country's coronavirus hotspots.
"I think there's going to be a lot of trepidation involved with everybody in the NBA to go into a state where the numbers are spiking," Haggerty said.
The NHL may face less trepidation from players as it attempts to pick two host cities where the virus is more contained. To hear which cities the NHL is considering as it nears a restart, check out the full video above.