The National Hockey League has followed the decision made by other major North American sports leagues and suspended the current hockey season indefinitely.
The league announces the decision a day after the National Basketball Association postponed their regular season after a player tested positive for the disease.
In a statement issued from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, he said that the league “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.”
Games will be suspended immediately, starting with the set of games slated for Thursday which included a match up with the Vancouver Canucks and the Arizona Coyotes.
“Given that our league shares 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,” reads Bettman’s statement.
The NHL regular season has 189 games remaining and was scheduled to end on Saturday, April 4 with the Stanley Cup Playoffs starting the week of April 6. At this time, howevere, the course of action the league takes to navigate the next few months is unclear.
“Our goal is to resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent, so that we will be able to complete this season and award the Stanley Cup. Until then, we thank NHL fans for your patience and hope you stay healthy,” said Bettman.
An announcement from the Western Hockey League, where the Victoria Royals play, has yet to be made surrounding future games.
Earlier Thursday, Major League Baseball postponed the start of their regular season. Major League Soccer has announced a pause of games for the next 30 days and the BC Lions have postponed two tryout camps scheduled in Texas.
Graham Cox
