After Tuesday night, there will be no NHL games to watch until after Christmas.
The National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players’ Association have announced all play is being postponed and all team facilities will be closed until Boxing Day.
"Under the revised schedule, Dec. 22, Dec. 23, Dec. 24 and Dec. 25 (Christmas Day) shall be off days for all purposes -- including travel," the league and association said in a joint statement issued Monday night. "Players will report back to their clubs on Dec. 26, which shall be used for testing, practice and/or travel only. 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."
There had been five games on the NHL schedule for Thursday. They are all now on hold. A postponement for the four games that had been slated for Wednesday had previously been announced.
The temporary shutdown comes as the league deals with an increase of COVID-19 cases among players. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, and Nashville Predators have all reported infections within their organizations.
Regular season play is scheduled to resume on Monday.
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