Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

NHL suspends season over coronavirus outbreak

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Steve Marcus

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner (90) makes a save during the first second of an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

Updated Thursday, March 12, 2020 | 10:54 a.m.

The NHL today suspended its season to help combat the spread of the coronavirus, the league announced.

"In light of the 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 league said in a statement.

"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."

There was no word on how long the suspension will last, nor how it will impact the postseason, which was set to begin in four weeks. The hope is that it is a short pause and that play will resume this season.

The Golden Knights were scheduled to play on the road against the Minnesota Wild tonight and their next home game was set for Tuesday against the Dallas Stars. They had four home games remaining before the playoffs.

Fans with tickets to the remaining home games should wait for more information. In a statement released Wednesday, when the league’s decision was still in limbo, the Golden Knights said: “At this point, unless a game is cancelled or directed to be played behind closed doors, there would not be refunds.”

The Golden Knights reiterated the NHL's remarks in a statement and asked fans for patience.

"The health and safety of our members, fans and community as a whole is a top priority," the Golden Knights said. "As more information becomes available, we will share it with you. Thank you in advance for your understanding."

The NHL Players' Association released a statement agreeing with the decision to halt the season.

"The decision to temporarily suspend play due to the COVID-19 pandemic is an appropriate course of action at this time," the association said. "The NHLPA will continue to closely monitor this very dynamic situation and remain in daily discussions with the league, our medical consultants, and other players regarding all aspects of this matter. The players are looking forward to the opportunity to resume play in front of hockey fans everywhere."

This is the first time the NHL will miss games leaguewide since a lockout-shortened 2012-13 season in which teams played a 48-game schedule that started three months late. The league missed the entire 2004-05 season over a lockout, the first time since 1919 the Stanley Cup was not awarded.

MLS announced today that it would postpone its season for 30 days. As of this writing, MLB had yet to make an announcement about the start of its season on March 26. The NFL said it does not plan on shifting the beginning of its league year, which begins next Wednesday with free agency opening.

The USL Championship, the league in which the Las Vegas Lights FC play, followed the lead of MLS and postponed the start of its season “a minimum of 30 days.” Lights FC’s home opener was set for Saturday at Cashman Field.

The NHL made the decision today after the NBA suspended its season Wednesday. Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus last night, and ESPN reported this morning that teammate Donovan Mitchell had also tested positive.

As of now, the NBA’s suspension is indefinite. It is not known what will happen with the postseason, which was set to begin April 18.

“The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic,” the league said in a statement.

Wednesday was a day of reckoning of sorts for how sports leagues would handle the coronavirus crisis.

It started with local governments issuing mandates to prevent large gatherings, including an announcement by the San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets that games would be played without fans.

Baseball’s Seattle Mariners were forced to concede that opening day at their home stadium wasn’t viable, and leagues across the world started barring fans from attending games or canceling their seasons altogether.

Then the NCAA dropped the hammer, announcing that all its championship events, including the March Madness men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, would be played without fans in attendance. It was the first domino in college basketball leagues announcing the same for their conference tournaments, including the Pac-12 tournament at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this weekend.

On Thursday, many conferences announced their tournaments would not be played at all, including the Pac-12. The status of the NCAA national tournaments is still undecided.