Pittsburgh out as potential NHL hub city; Dallas reportedly also eliminated

Pittsburgh is officially out of the running to be a hub city for the NHL's return-to-play plan, the Penguins announced Tuesday.

"We know Pittsburgh would have been a great host city because of our fans and the support we received from the local business community, unions, and our political leaders. We thank commissioner (Gary) Bettman and the NHL for considering us as one of the finalists, which is a reflection on how great of a city Pittsburgh truly is," said Penguins president and CEO David Morehouse.

Dallas is also no longer in the mix, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reports. Columbus and Minneapolis/St. Paul were ruled out on Monday.

Las Vegas, Vancouver, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Chicago are the six remaining options to host the NHL's 24-team playoff format.

The league is currently in Phase 2 of its return plan. It upped the limit for on- and off-ice voluntary workouts from six players to 12 starting Tuesday. Phase 3 features mandatory training camps for each club that qualified for the postseason, beginning July 10.

A decision on the two hub locations is expected by the end of the week.