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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The National Hockey League is putting its games on pause after a sharp uptick in cases of COVID in the league and around the country.
After having to postpone a number of games, the league is opting to begin its preplanned winter break early, by postponing all games from Dec. 22 to Dec. 27. This makes the NHL the first American sports league to put a halt on its games due to recent surges in COVID cases.
Under the new policy, Dec. 22 through 25 will be marked as off days for the league and there will be no games, practices, or travel scheduled during that time. The NHL said in a statement practices will resume on Dec. 26 and games will resume on Dec. 27.
As a part of the new policy, no members of the team or organization can re-enter team facilities until they have tested negative for COVID. The break will begin after the conclusion of the two games scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 21.
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The Bruins are one of the many teams impacted by a recent spike in COVID cases. On Dec. 18, the team and the league announced all Bruins games through Dec. 26 were being postponed after 11 players were put into COVID protocols. The Bruins will resume play on Dec. 27 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney spoke with the media after this move was announced and said the players in COVID protocols are "doing relatively well" and only experiencing moderate to mild symptoms, with some having no symptoms at all.
WBZ's Drew Moholland (@DrewWBZ) reports.
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