Key Takeaways:
- No, this is not the month of March 2020.
- The NHL season will continue on December 27.
The coronavirus pandemic persists to be a threat, but the medical field and infectious disease experts have knew a lot about the virus and its spread. In addition, personal protection is provided by tools such as safe vaccines and masking options.
This means that sports leagues will not close down as they did 20 months ago. However, it appears that another sport or company is being affected by this pandemic, with postponements and infections, with each passing day. For example, on Monday, 51 NFL players, including Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, were placed on the COVID-19 reserve list.
Because of the increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases across the league, the NHL and NHL Players’ Association agreed to begin their Christmas break early.
Also Read: People in Igloolik have been warned to be on the lookout for rabies
The NHL announced Monday night that it would pause its season on Wednesday, two days before the scheduled holiday break from December 24-26 initially.
The game between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild on Monday night went ahead as planned, but the other four games on the schedule were canceled. There are two games left on Tuesday’s agenda: Washington Capitals at Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET) and Tampa Bay Lightning at Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET), and both are still on.
There were initially ten games scheduled for Tuesday, but some games between Canadian and American teams had already been postponed due to the suspension of all cross-border games.
During consultations Monday night, the NHL and NHLPA agreed to postpone the five games that remained on Thursday’s schedule. Players are scheduled to return to team facilities on December 26 and resume daily testing.
Earlier Monday, the Columbus Blue Jackets were canceled due to an increase in the number of cases. A pair of Tuesday games New Jersey Devils vs. Pittsburgh Penguins and Arizona Coyotes vs. Seattle Kraken were canceled to COVID issues on the Devils and Kraken, respectively.
Source: USTODAY
