Photo courtesy of Canadian Press

By Scott Roblin

NHL Season Suspended

NHL officially puts games on hold amidst COVID-19 pandemic

Mar 12, 2020 | 12:48 PM

TORONTO, ON – NHL rinks across North America are set to fall silent on Thursday, as the league has formally announced they have suspended its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After much speculation, the NHL is following the direction of the NBA and have put an indefinite pause on all games moving forward.

In a statement, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman outlined the following reasons for the suspension:

“In light of ongoing developments resulting from the coronavirus, and after consulting with medical experts and convening a conference call of the Board of Governors, the National Hockey League is announcing today that it will pause the 2019-20 season beginning with tonight’s games.

“The NHL has been attempting to follow the mandates of health experts and local authorities, while preparing for any possible development without taking premature or unnecessary measures. However, following last night’s new that an NBA player has tested positive for coronavirus – and given that our leagues share so many facilities and locker rooms and it now seems likely that some member of the NHL community would test positive at some point – it is no longer appropriate to try and continue to play games at this time.”

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“We will continue to monitor all the appropriate medical advice, and we will encourage our players and other members of the NHL community to take all reasonable precautions – including by self-quarantine, where appropriate. Our goal is to resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent, so that we will be able to complete the season and award the Stanley Cup. Until then, we thank NHL fans for your patience and hope you stay healthy.”

There were 10 games across the NHL that were scheduled to take place on Thursday night, while all meetings and practices have also been cancelled.

The NHL Player’s Association supported the NHL’s decision in a statement this afternoon:

“The decision to temporarily suspend play due to the COVID-19 pandemic is an appropriate course of action at this time. The NHLPA will continue to closely monitor this very dynamic situation and remain in daily discussions with the league, our medical consultants, and our players regarding all aspects of this matter. The players are looking forward to the opportunity to resume play in front of hockey fans everywhere.”

More to come…