NHL suspends season amid coronavirus concerns
Updated 2:25 p.m.
The National Hockey League will “pause” its season starting with Thursday’s night’s games given the ongoing concerns about the spread of coronavirus, adding that the league hopes to “resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent.”
The NHL made the move after the NBA suspended its season Wednesday when a player tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.
Given that many NBA and NHL teams share facilities and locker rooms, “it now seems likely that some member of the NHL community would test positive at some point – it is no longer appropriate to try to continue to play games at this time,” the league said in a statement.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league’s goal is to “resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent” in hopes of completing this season.
The Minnesota Wild said in statement that it supported the NHL’s decision and would communicate soon with season ticket holders and other affected parties.
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