The NHL will pause its season on Wednesday ... as the league scrambles to figure out ways to manage the COVID outbreak it's currently experiencing.
The NHL released a joint statement with the NHLPA on Monday explaining the decision ... postponing games this week to try to get the surge in coronavirus cases to slow down through the holidays.
"Under the revised schedule," the league announced, "Dec. 22, Dec. 23, Dec. 24, and Dec. 25 (Christmas Day) shall be off days for all purposes -- including travel."
The @NHL and @NHLPA have agreed to begin the Holiday Break after Tuesday’s games. Practices will resume on Dec. 26 and the League’s regular-season schedule will resume on Dec. 27. https://t.co/0Bmu8dlZ1M pic.twitter.com/JHbxtzMX6D
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 21, 2021
Of course, this announcement has been brewing for a few days ... as COVID cases continue to spike, not just in the hockey league but in the NFL and NBA as well.
As of this week, 11 NHL teams have suspended operations and 49 total games have been postponed, including the games affected by the pause starting Wednesday, according to a report by ESPN.
There's more -- the NHL also reintroduced stricter protocols this week for players ... which means more rigorous testing (daily, instead of once every three days), social distancing measures, and restrictions on where players can go when they're not playing.
"Players will report back to their Clubs on Dec. 26, which shall be used for testing, practice and/or travel only," the league's statement said.
"Upon return from the Holiday Break to team facilities, no individual in the team’s Traveling Party shall enter the facility (other than for testing purposes) until they have a negative test result. "
The league's regular-season schedule is expected to resume on Dec. 27.