- NHL shuts down 4 teams
- Canada-U.S. women’s hockey game cancelled
- Canada pulls out of Spengler Cup
- Raptors stop team practices, training individually
The Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets are the latest teams to be shut down by COVID-19 as the NHL limps towards its holiday break.
The league said in a statement today the move was made “due to concern with the number of positive cases within the last several days as well concern for continued COVID spread.”
The NHL has now sidelined a total of nine teams because of the pandemic’s latest wave fuelled by the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
With more than 130 players and team staff currently in COVID-19 protocol, the league has been forced to postpone 42 games so far this season, with 37 coming since last Monday.
The Canadiens announced yesterday they were shutting down until Dec. 26 as a preventative measure. Montreal had already seen its games postponed until after Christmas after the NHL announced a pause to cross-border travel.
Columbus was supposed to play in Buffalo tonight and then host the Sabres on Thursday, but both games have now been scratched.
The Oilers then announced defencemen Darnell Nurse and William Lagesson have been added to protocol, joining five teammates and head coach Dave Tippett. The team subsequently posted to Twitter its facility would also be closed through the Christmas break.
The Senators, who said assistant coach Davis Payne has been added to protocol, tweeted the team won’t practice again until after the break for “precautionary reasons.”
Canada-U.S. women’s hockey game cancelled
An exhibition game between the Canadian and American women’s hockey teams has been cancelled.
USA Hockey said in a statement Monday the contest scheduled for the evening is off because of COVID-19 concerns.
Canada and the U.S. have been taking part in a nine-game Rivalry Series ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
The Canadians beat the Americans 3-2 in overtime Saturday in St. Louis, Mo. Canada also downed the U.S. 2-1 in overtime Wednesday.
The teams are scheduled to meet for two more games in the cross-border series — Jan. 3 in Edmonton and Jan. 6 in Red Deer, Alta.
The 2022 Winter Games open Feb. 4.
Hockey Canada pulls out of Spengler Cup
Hockey Canada has decided to not send a team to the annual Spengler Cup because of concerns over COVID-19.
The tournament is scheduled to run Dec. 26-31 in Davos, Switzerland, but increasing cases spurred by the Omicron variant have caused havoc with a number of sports organizations around the globe.
“After careful consideration and following discussion with our chief medical officer about the ever-changing landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hockey Canada has made the difficult decision to withdraw from the 2021 Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland,” the organization said in a statement released Monday.
“We have a long-standing tradition of participating in the Spengler Cup, and it is disappointing that we are unable to attend the prestigious event this year. However, we strongly believe this is the right decision to maintain the health and safety of our players, coaches and support staff that were set to represent Canada.”
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Canada has the most championships of any country at the tournament, most recently in 2019. The tournament was cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canada’s Spengler Cup team was intended to be Hockey Canada’s backup entry for the 2022 Beijing Olympics in February if the NHL pulls out of the Winter Games.
Claude Julien was named the head coach for Canada’s team at the Spengler Cup, as well as the Channel One Cup in Russia, in late November.
Raptors stop team practices, training individually
The Toronto Raptors have stopped practising as a team, instead working with coaches individually.
It’s a precautionary measure being introduced as Toronto’s game against Orlando on Monday night was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak on the Magic.
The Raptors have also been touched by the coronavirus. On Monday, the team added Gary Trent Jr. to the NBA’s protocol list, where he joins all-star forward Pascal Siakam and rookie Dalano Banton.
Toronto’s new practice regimen will feature just one player and one coach drilling at one net at a time.
There are six nets at the Raptors’ practice facility but a team spokesperson says they’ll likely limit practice to four of the hoops.
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All players and team staff will be tested before entering the OVO Athletic Centre.
Toronto’s next game is Wednesday in Chicago.
Monday’s game against Orlando at Scotiabank Arena was one of several that the NBA postponed. Sunday’s games between Denver and Brooklyn, Cleveland and Atlanta and New Orleans and Philadelphia were postponed, while Tuesday’s game between the Wizards and Nets has also been scratched.
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