Here we go again…
The NHL has decided to pause the season until after Christmas due to COVID concerns.
With a large outbreak of COVID among Canadian teams and several US-based teams, the league will shut down until December 27.
Fans Stunned
The news came down during the games on Monday night.
Several games involving Canadian teams had already been postponed over COVID concerns.
Omicron is beginning to surge in the United States and Canada, so the league decided to shut down to give everyone a chance to catch their breath, so to speak.
Monday night’s games were the last games to be played before Christmas for most teams, with only two games slated for Tuesday night.
The league will resume travel and practice on December 26, with the first games being played being December 27.
The @NHL and @NHLPA have agreed to begin the Holiday Break after Tuesday’s games. Practices will resume on Dec. 26 and the League’s regular-season schedule will resume on Dec. 27. https://t.co/0Bmu8dlZ1M pic.twitter.com/JHbxtzMX6D
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 21, 2021
In all, 11 teams, mostly the Canadian teams, had suspended operations due to COVID infections.
Roughly 15 percent of the league’s players had tested positive over the last few days.
The NFL believes the small break will give all teams a chance to allow the players and coaches that have tested positive the opportunity to get better and be able to put a full roster on the ice.
During the pandemic, the league had halted play, only to resume in a “bubble” where players were unable to leave their assigned cities and fans were not allowed in the stands.
The following season, the NHL only allowed partial attendance, with most arenas barely at 25 percent.
The NFL could be next, as several games had been postponed earlier in the week.
One of those games was played on Monday afternoon, with two more games being played on Tuesday.
If COVID starts to impact playoff teams, it would not be a surprise to see the NFL enact a similar strategy to try to save the season and allow the playoffs to go on as scheduled.
Source: Fox News
