The NHL season gets further postponed

The National Hockey League just sent out an update on its situation with COVID-19 on Twitter, stating that the hockey season will have to be further postponed as it is recommending that players, coaches and NHL staff stay in self-isolation until April 30. 

The NHL has not officially fully cancelled the season yet, and it seems that the league is angling to simply shift the timing of the rest of the season into the spring and summer if they can.

On Monday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told CNN, “When we’ll have an opportunity to return depends on things that we have absolutely no control over, because it all starts with everybody’s health and well-being.”

Bettman assured the public that the NHL is still considering all its options. Bettman said, “we haven’t ruled anything in, we haven’t ruled anything out, and we’ll be prepared to go in whatever direction makes sense at the time.”

The NHL has taken on some criticism from the public with many expressing distaste with the league trying to get the hockey season restarted.

In an Ottawa Sun article titled “YOU SAID IT: Its game over, NHL,” they published multiple letters to the editor regarding the NHL, all seemingly unhappy with the organization’s approach to the COVID19 pandemic.

One letter from Reg MacDonald read, “the NHL image will be tarnished by not cancelling the season and focusing on next year,” a statement the NHL may want to consider as it may risk alienating its own spectators if they seem not to be taking the COVID19 pandemic seriously enough. They will have their work cut out for them convincing the public it is safe to return to arenas in just a couple of months.

It isn’t known whether or not the NHL is considering any of this pressure or if the hockey season can realistically be restarted. Only time will tell whether or not the season will be logistically viable in several more weeks or not.