The NHL announced today that they will be temporarily suspending the season. The league hopes to resume the season but the situation is fluid.
The NHL season has officially been suspended. No surprise. There is hope to resume.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 12, 2020
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. -Gary Bettman
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. -NHLPA
Update from the Golden Knights#VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/fvtb2N5ZTV
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 12, 2020
"The League acted very prudently by suspending play. Let’s see if we can slow the spread down by taking these actions." -Bill Foley
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) March 12, 2020
John c
Wow! This is really serious stuff!
The bright side… At least if they come back to play Patch , Stone, Tuch, Stephenson will be healthy.
JV
Hockey in July? No, the season is too long as it is ending in mid-June. If it starts up again, just begin with the playoffs where the teams are at and shorten the first and second round to 3 out of 5. The league has plenty of practice with shortened seasons and they will already lose money.
gary BET-man
bs…no real hockey fan says the season is too long…people are missing it already, just look at the Twitter comments.
JV
You can’t expect the boys to play until the end of July, possibly into August, then expect them to be ready again in September. They should be sterilizing all the equipment, arenas, and getting every tested now. Then start up in 2 weeks. Missed games only made up if needed so a game like LA vs Anaheim wouldn’t be made up.
Tyler Durden
That not right, any team can beat any team. That’s why they have a regular season. What happened when the knights played the Kings last time?
JV
A game like LA vs Anaheim would have no playoff implications. That’s what I was getting at.
vgk2020
the league had no choice since all the other leagues are now shutting down….NBA, MLB, college hoops, soccer, etc etc
Plus some NHL teams share the arena with NBA teams and 2 NBA players have already tested positive.
Hopefully, the end result of all this will be that the VGK injured players will get healthy, (Stone, Patch, Tuch, Stephenson) and they will be at full strength when the league resumes, probably in April.
NOTE that the NHL teams have today explored arena availability until the end of July, which means that they fully intend to pick up the schedule and finish this season, and Bettman said that they will award the Stanley cup this year.
“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.”
Daryl
This is such a over reaction…
Players Association
TORONTO (March 12, 2020) The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) has issued the following statement:
“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.”
Tim
With the injuries to Stone, Patch, and Tuch this is a blessing is disguise. Were in first place in the Pacific and when all teams equal our 71 games we would still be in first place with 86 points. Were in good shape because the whole country has shut down sports. My son plays for Coronado High and they just canceled the baseball season. I’m 75 and have never seen anything like this it’s just crazy no March Madness, Disneyland is closing, No football draft, no NBA how fast things can change.
John c
Tim, couldn’t agree more!!! You’re the bright spot in all of this!!
We stop play with VGK in the top spot and get a free chance to mend our top line!
It’s the best place to be under the circumstances!!
Carry-on boys!!! Let the “DREAM” go forth!
HOIST DA CUP!!!