The outbreak of COVID-19 cases across the NHL has finally come to a head. The league has announced they will postpone the five games remaining on December 23, essentially lengthening the holiday break from December 22-25. Teams will report back to their facilities on December 26 and games will resume the following day.
While many of the games originally scheduled for the rest of this week have already been postponed, the early shutdown will mean that the five games still on the docket for Thursday, December 23, will now be postponed as well. That includes Flyers-Penguins, Capitals-Islanders, Stars-Blackhawks, Lightning-Coyotes, and Kings-Knights. The two games scheduled for tomorrow, Capitals-Flyers and Lightning-Knights, will proceed as scheduled before operations are suspended on Wednesday.
Rather than hold to the initial holiday break of December 24-26, players and staff will return to action a day early to resume testing. In addition to games, practice, and all other team activities being suspended during the shutdown, testing will also not occur, but the league will be eager to check in on its players before returning to action. Friedman notes that all players and staff will require a negative COVID test before re-entering team facilities.
With even more games being postponed and the mounting pressure on the NHL and its players to pull out of the 2022 Winter Olympics, with rumors abound that this decision has already been made, Bally Sports’ Andy Strickland reports that the league will be forced to use the planned Olympic break to instead make up the numerous games they have lost over the past couple of weeks. The league could address this plan and Olympic intentions when announcing the shutdown.
Let’s hope that’ll it will get better soon
Its not bad now. Theyre shutting down for what is mainly the common cold. Its dumb and if they reported what the players are experiencing rather than them just testing positive, everyone woupd be making fun of the NHL for their protocol.
Berts the last one without vax and even he merely had a common cold. All this fear crap is straight up bull jizz. But hey, at least a few men are laughing maniacally over the money theyre making from this shizz
Smart move now cancel the Olympics
Why? You think the NHL is gonna have its own break out then go to the olympics and have it done twice? Its a good sign that its rampaging through the NHL now, if they werent vaxxed they for sure wouldnt get it in China after such a quick turnaround. With the vax theyd prolly get some false positives.
They all have the common cold and over bearing, control freak mom is freaking out and forcing everyone to as well. Its pathetic.
Utter nonsense
the heck, we still have to play the Caps?
Why do the Olympics in China where the virus kicked off?? The heck with the Olympics, protect the NHL season.
It doesnt matter where the shit kicked off. Its not like the nukes Satanic America dropped where that locataion is rampant with radiation and the further you get away, the less of it there is. The virus idls around and if you werent so daft would know it was produced and released all around the globe. Many times.
I was with you until you insulted my country. You may want to consider how much longer that war would’ve gone on had Truman not ended it the way he did.
All of this is just absolutely absurd
i was looking forward to seeing T mobile arena for the first time. bummer.
There will be more variants in the coming months. Fix the protocol or lose the season. They only player to actually feel ill is Gallagher. And I’m pretty sure he was ill from licking urinal cakes not covid.
“was ill from licking urinal cakes ” Not sure where that came from, but it gave me a good laugh.
@kar120c Damn, so true omg
Wait. Is it shutting down on Wednesday, or on the 23rd? Either way, what difference is 2 (or 3) days going to make with these ridiculous protocols. The easy answer would be to stop testing non-symptomatic vaccinated players like the nfl did I think. But then, I suppose you still have the issue of the canadian border though.
Another variant scare like this and were likely headed for a bubble again.
And why not just call it immediately? What happens if you get new cases after the Washington/Philly or Tampa/Vegas games?
You are completely correct. Stop testing non symptomatic players. It’s ridiculous and pointless.
You nailed it with the Canadian border part, the NFL doesn’t have to worry about traveling into another country with different covid rules. Canada has been ultra strict especially about entering their country (wish we stricter with that sort of stuff).
not testing asymptomatic players means you just FIND less guys who have Covid and said dudes are still going to spread it.
The shits spreading no matter what. Wether they in protocol or not. You cant stop the spread. But since its nothing more than the common cold, who tf cares? Oh, people like you who fall victim to the fear mongering.
Been over a year, if i even had covid, ive had cold and flus worse. Oh no someone on the news who gets paid to read whatever thwyre told to said some shit. Definitely not possible for an agenda to be behind it and strangers always have the best intentions for me despite everone i know being pos. Lol you is dumb. Enjoy the cool aid. Enjoy paying someone to protect you from a story they tell you about something theyll keep ever from harming you. You never see it. Youre so grateful for your protector. Only there aint nothing to fear. The one you pay to protect made up the story and only doesnt beat and rob you cuz you willingly pay them to not beat you up. Youre dumb
The NFL holds a yearly game in London, so they do have to worry about traveling into another country with different COVID-19 rules.
@Oilers777 you mean the single NFL game outside of the US that already happened compared to the NHL with it’s half dozen Canadian teams? Kind of apples and oranges.
@DarkSide830 – So what you’re saying is, an asymptomatic vaxxed player is a danger to other asymptomatic vaxxed players? Let that sink in for a minute.
So much for a lump of coal in the Christmas stocking. This is a dump truck load right on our front yards…
Good thing they all had the vaccine!
They would all had def died otherwise. Pray for their soles!
Id rather pay for their soles. Them shits be mine, ill pay them to talk about dumbass hockey shit all the fkn time. Same stupid questions. Repetative ass answers. Just as long as they dont spit no truth to the kids who it wouod positively affect
what about AHL games? I’m all fired of for Ontario vs. Henderson this Wednesday… #FingersCrossed
Not to blame NHL but it’s again political.
Fighting the spread of a new variant is just stupid when players are all out and about in their free time. To really stop the spread you have to put them in a bubble again, so making the players spread it across as fast as possible making this new variant a non issue moving forward would make much sense. Wonder what’s really pushing the NHL’s strategy of dealing with covid
Just 2 weeks to flatten the curve. This is ridiculous!!!!
It’s a cold.
Untrue, but…a month or two from now, it might be close to true after Omicron hits and then subsides. It’s just the matter of the tsunami that will occur in between now and then.
That’s until your next scariant arrives….bigger and badder than the last one! :o
The people who should be most welcomed in public are those with natural immunity. That’s how a virus fades away.
If you don’t want to get vaccinated, don’t get vaccinated. Freedom!!!
But, then have the decency to die in your own home instead of cowardly running off to those doctors you said were evil and clogging up the hospitals you said were scamming you.
Deal?
Yea I don’t understand why people who don’t trust doctors or science run directly to doctors and science when they get sick. It’s like some people only want to take this seriously when it impacts them personally, shows a real lack of empathy.
Who says it? Who? Do you really think that everyone who’s got a different opinion than yours is a tinfoil hat person who’s bought into reptiloid conspicary? Really? I guess those canadian commercials have really chewed into your brain
then they should be more willing to allow treatments for this over the counter. if the government is wants me to not burden the hospitals, then allow me to take experimental treatments too. i think that’s only fair.
Deal josh.
As Ive asked before shouldnt we all (non vaxxed anti maskers) be dead by now anyway? Shouldnt Joe Rogan of died for taking his dog neuterizer or what ever CNN said he took? They would also lead you to believe that one of these NHL covid cases would have turned ugly by now no? Or NBA or NFL. Who could forget how Justin Turner infected the entire Dodgers team in 2020 after his positive test. Still remembering the fatalaties from that one world series celebration. Hope it was worth it Justin.
As soon as the mandates are lifted and the unvaxed can stop being treated like second class citizens, you have a deal!
Sadly for your narrative, Josh, it’s not the unvaxxed who are “clogging” up hospitals these days. Indeed, it’s happening in the states with the highest vax rates.
Facts yet again ruin your Fauci fed fables.
Mandatory NHL vaccination policy is working obviously
It’s all Joe Rogan’s fault