The 2020 NHL season will be the 95th season of play on the ice. While it’s the 96th year of operation, it’s the 95th season because of the lockout that wiped out the 2004-05 campaign. NHL fans were nearly forced to endure the same pain after the start of another lockout in 2019. Things appeared grim for a season and NHL playoff bracket until the lockout was finally resolved in January.

NHL Playoff Bracket: 2020 Lockout

The 2012 NHL lockout began when the collective bargaining agreement expired in September. The work stoppage came after the NHL playoff bracket at the conclusion of the 2011-12 season featured some of the most exciting games in recent memory.nhl-playoff-bracket

In all, 510 regular season games were canceled from the NHL schedule. The popular “Winter Classic” and 2013 All-Star Game were also erased. The lockout stifled the momentum built by the previous 2012 NHL playoff bracket and left fans angry and frustrated.

After agreeing to a new CBA, it was determined that the revised 2013 NHL schedule would begin on January 19th. Instead of playing 82 games, each team would play a compressed 48-game schedule.

Download: 2020 NHL Playoff Bracket