While the league deals with the ongoing COVID outbreak, and with five teams currently shut down through the league’s Holiday break, the NHL and NHLPA have come to an agreement that the 2021-22 schedule will go on as planned. Announced this afternoon, the league and players association agreed to continue the regular season schedule but games that require teams to cross the U.S.-Canada border would be postponed through the NHL’s Holiday break.
The @NHLPA and @NHL have agreed to postpone cross-border games through Dec. 23.
A full list of NHL postponements to date can be found here: https://t.co/PfY1NKP3ZR pic.twitter.com/oePGmBLpKo
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 19, 2021
12 games in total will be postponed through the Holiday break, adding to the already 27 games that have been postponed this season due to teams dealing with COVID outbreaks, most of which have come this week. Additionally, the NHL and NHLPA are continuing discussions regarding the league’s participation in the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics.
From the press release:
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.
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 currently has over 100 players, coaches, and team staff members in COVID protocol, again most coming from positive cases just this week. We shall see where the league goes from here regarding the schedule, upcoming Holiday and All-Star breaks, and the NHLPA’s push for participation in the Olympics, which looks inevitable that it will not happen.