If the NHL has decided to suspend or even cancel parts of its season as a precaution to the coronavirus impacting seemingly every walk of life around the globe, that decision hasn’t been finalized just yet.
In the wake of the NBA announcing it will indefinitely suspending its season, the NHL released a brief, three-sentence statement on Wednesday evening:
“The National Hockey League is aware of the NBA’s decision tonight to indefinitely suspend its season due to a player testing positive for the coronavirus. The NHL is continuing to consult with medical experts and is evaluating the options. We expect to have a further update tomorrow.”
The National Hockey League’s Players Association issued a statement as well:
“We are in continuous contact with the NHL regarding the coronavirus and the recent announcement by the NBA. These discussions will continue tomorrow morning, and we will consult with players before commenting further.”
Several NHL and NBA teams share arenas.
Earlier in the day, a handful of NHL teams announced they were planning on playing games in front of mostly empty arenas. That included the Columbus Blue Jackets who are scheduled to host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Nationwide Arena on Thursday.
The NHL has previously canceled games out due to work stoppages such as a lockout which wiped out the entire 2004-05 season as well lockouts which eliminated portions of the 1994-95 and 2012-13 seasons.
In 1919, the Stanley Cup Final between the Montreal Canadiens and the Seattle Metropolitans was canceled after five games due to what became colloquially known as the Spanish flu.
