The NHL announced in a press release on Thursday that the league will not be holding the Winter Classic or All-Star Weekend due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“[W]e felt that the prudent decision at this time was to postpone these celebrations until 2022 when our fans should be able to enjoy and celebrate these tentpole events in-person, as they were always intended,” the NHL’s Steve Mayer said in a statement.
The Edmonton Oilers announced Monday night that Connor McDavid has tested positive for COVID-19. According to the team, McDavid underwent medical testing earlier in the day that revealed the positive test. He is experiencing mild symtomps currently.
The Oilers added that McDavid is self-quarantining at his home and will follow all safety protocols.
The Tampa Bay Lightning may have endangered the lives of Floridians on Wednesday.
After winning the franchise’s second Stanley Cup in the Edmonton bubble, the Lightning held a championship boat parade and rally back home during a coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 200,000 people in the United States (a fifth of all deaths worldwide). While the team took precautions and encouraged social distancing ahead of time, those practices did not sustain. Lightning players and fans got sloppy as Bolts faithful tried to get close to the most famous trophy in sports.
The players generated several cringe-worthy moments that were heavily criticized on social media.
The NHL announced on Monday that it has had no positive COVID-19 tets for the seventh-straight week inside the bubble.
There were 0 positive cases in 1,357 COVID-19 tests run.
In another sign of the times, the Stanley Cup and its keeper, Philip Pritchard, are currently under quarantine in Edmonton before entering the NHL’s bubble.
Pritchard revealed the news on Friday as he documented his trip to the fourth largest city in Canada. The NHL’s Conference Finals are currently being played nearby at Rogers Place.
The NHL announced on Monday that it has had no positive COVID-19 tets for the fifth-straight week inside the bubble.
There were 0 positive cases in 2,814 COVID-19 tests run.
St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong spoke to reporters on Wednesday and shared some distressing news from Phase 3 Training Camp.
According to Armstrong, 20 percent of the team contracted the coronavirus ahead of the postseason. Armstrong pointed to that issue for being one of the major reasons why the Blues could not repeat as champions. St. Louis was eliminated in the first round by the Vancouver Canucks in six games.
The NHL announced on Monday that it has had no positive COVID-19 tets for the fourth-straight week inside the bubble.
There were 0 positive cases in 4,644 COVID-19 tests run.
The NHL announced Monday afternoon that there still have been no positive COVID-19 results since entering the bubble three weeks ago.
There was 0 positive cases in 5,640 COVID-19 tests run.
Lars Eller spoke to reporters for the first time since getting out of quarantine on Wednesday morning. The Capitals’ third-line center missed Game One of the Capitals’ first-round series against the New York Islanders, a 4-2 loss, and will return to the lineup for Game Two, subbing in for the injured Nicklas Backstrom.
“I love when those challenges happen,” Eller said of moving up into a top-six role. “I don’t change the way I think about the game or prepare myself. I think it’ll basically mean I’ll be playing more minutes than I otherwise would. My mentality is the same: try to go out there and play a strong two-way game and create offense every shift. I’ve had very good experience playing with Osh and V in the past.”
But Eller’s experience leaving the bubble was not as good. The Danish center had to make a painful decision to limit his possible exposure to COVID-19 and his four days quarantined away from his teammates in a Hotel X room made him feel helpless.
