NHL fans on edge as league mulls possibility of suspending season amid virus pandemic
Posted March 12, 2020 6:43 am.
Last Updated March 12, 2020 12:46 pm.
UPDATE: The NHL has announced it will suspend its regular season over coronavirus concerns.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A day after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and the NBA made the decision to suspend its season, sports fans are now waiting on further league decisions.
The NHL season hangs in the balance, as the league holds a call with team representatives Thursday morning on the steps ahead. So far, the NHL has only advised clubs not to conduct morning skates, practices, or team meetings ahead of the decision.
Given the uncertainty regarding next steps regarding the coronavirus, Clubs are advised not to conduct morning skates, practices or team meetings today.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 12, 2020
The big question on everyone’s minds will be: How can the NHL go a different path than what we saw from the NBA?
“I don’t think so, and if they do you just go, ‘What kind of risk? And what kind of PR move is that?'” Sportsnet 650‘s Perry Solkowski said, adding a move to go ahead with the rest of the season could be seen by fans as greedy. “There are too many experts that have been in touch to say you can’t really have large gatherings.”
National Hockey League Statement Regarding Coronavirus: https://t.co/AKrmh8ao4F pic.twitter.com/PZ7dQBbGVB
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 12, 2020
There is a key difference in both leagues’ situations, with the big one at this point being no NHL player has tested positive for COVID-19, whereas a member of the Utah Jazz has.
NBA To Suspend Season Following Tonight's Games pic.twitter.com/2PTx2fkLlW
— NBA (@NBA) March 12, 2020
The NBA’s decision came only hours after the majority of the league’s owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.
The NHL will now have to decide if it will continue playing games in cities where there isn’t evidence of community spread — and maybe look to even move games or play them in empty arenas, as has been the case with other spots.
If that were the route the league wants to take, is it even viable?
“I wasn’t surprised that the NHL couldn’t automatically react so quickly and say, ‘Hey, we’re done,'” Solkowski said. “I will be shocked if we don’t hear something at some point today saying, ‘We are going to pull back and we’re going to suspend our league for a while.'”
There are 10 games on the NHL schedule for Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Whitecaps have been forced to apologize after someone at the club’s head office tried to downplay a season ticket holder’s concerns about COVID-19 ahead of the club’s match on Saturday at BC Place.
-With files from Tarnjit Parmar
