National Hockey League hits pause on the season beginning Wednesday and lasting through Christmas Day

Due to more concerns regarding COVID-19, the National Hockey League (NHL) and the NHL Players Association (NHLPA) have announced the schedule will be paused starting Wednesday and lasting through Christmas.

Team facilities can reopen on December 26. Games are scheduled to resume on December 27.

Of the nine games scheduled for Tuesday night, seven have been postponed. The Washington Capitals at Philadelphia Flyers and the Tampa Bay Lightning at Vegas Golden Knights games are still tentatively planned for Tuesday night.

In total the NHL has postponed 49 games this season, 44 of them in the past eight days.

On Sunday the NHL and NHLPA announced all games involving international travel between Canada and the United States would be postponed through Thursday.

All of the postponed games are not a good sign for NHL players participating in the Beijing 2022 Games, though both the NHL and NHLPA have not made any final decision on the Olympics.

“With the continued uncertainty caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL and NHLPA are actively discussing the matter of NHL player participation in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, and expect to be in a position to announce a final determination in the coming days,” the sides said in a joint statement.

Some players have expressed concern over a potential three or five week quarantine period if they test positive for COVID-19 while in Beijing. Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner from Sweden has already stated publicly he will not take part in the Olympics.

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