The NHL followed the lead of other major professional sports on Thursday by announcing that it has suspended regular season play.
Commissioner Gary Bettman released a statement that read:
"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 developments without taking premature or unnecessary measures. However, following last night's news 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 to continue to play games at this time.
"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."
BREAKING: The NHL has suspended the 2019/20 season.
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 12, 2020
MORE: https://t.co/OUzx3DwOp8 pic.twitter.com/6me6wE6Jmh
Both the NBA and Major League Soccer had already suspended their regular seasons.
The NHL season has officially been suspended. No surprise. There is hope to resume.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 12, 2020
There has been no determination as to how long the suspension will last.
TSN's Darren Dreger has claimed that a NHL source told him that it will be a "short pause."
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
Join and support independent free thinkers!
We’re independent and can’t be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.
Remind me next month
To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy
