The National Hockey League and its players association announced on Sunday that cross-border games would be postponed for the upcoming week, affecting 12 games in total, as the league grapples with a rising number of COVID-19 cases.
“Due to the concern about cross-border travel and, given the fluid nature of federal travel restrictions, effective on Monday, all games involving a Canadian-based team playing a U.S.-based team from Monday, Dec. 20 through the start of the Holiday break on Dec. 23, will be postponed and rescheduled,” the NHL and its players union jointly announced in a statement.
The 12 games were set to take place between Monday and Thursday.
The statement also said that a final determination regarding NHL players participating in the 2022 Beijing Olympics was expected to be announced in the coming days.
“With the number one priority of maintaining the health and safety of our NHL community, and amid changing and unpredictable conditions, we are determined to remain flexible and adaptable both in terms of scheduling and in adjusting Protocols as necessary,” the NHL and NHL Players’ Association said.
A total of 27 NHL games have been postponed as of Saturday, not including the 12 announced on Sunday. The announcement highlights a rapidly changing COVID-19 landscape as other sports leagues like the NFL and NBA also cancel games and shift schedules amid the highly transmissible variant.
The NHL, NBA and NFL have also announced tightening of their COVID-19 protocols this month, though that hasn’t prevented postponements reminiscent of previous points in the pandemic.
Many schools and university have also announced they will be returning temporarily to virtual learning. Health officials warned on Sunday that the next few weeks would be difficult ones for Americans.
“Omicron really has thrown a curveball here,” former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on CBS’ “Face the Nation”, noting that “we do face a hard four to six weeks ahead of us.”