[News] NHL pauses the 19/20 season

[sureLoss]

Keep this thread about what will happen moving forward. Eg. Playoffs, rest of the regular season, conditional picks, draft, free agency etc.

News Update

Chris Johnston @reporterchris
The NHL season has officially been suspended. No surprise. There is hope to resume.

Frank Seravalli @frank_seravalli
#NHL season has been suspended. The league is on hiatus, with hope that it’s a short pause to protect player and staff health and safety.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1238156578731294721

https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/csec...on/c-316157230

The health, safety and well-being of our fans, staff and players remain the most important priority of Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation. CSEC is in full support of the National Hockey League's decision to pause the 2019-20 season due to COVID - 19.

As a result of this decision, the Flames home game this evening versus the New York Islanders and Saturday versus the Winnipeg Jets will not take place as originally scheduled. In addition, the National Lacrosse League game scheduled for this weekend at the Scotiabank Saddledome is suspended.

We are currently working on answers to frequently asked questions from our various stakeholders and it is our intention to communicate on a regular basis as this situation is fluid.

As with the NHL, we are hopeful to resume the season and playoffs when appropriate and prudent.

[Icon]

suspended better than cancelled

[Jordan!]

Canucks are flying back from Phoenix right now

[OldDutch]

I still don’t get the end game here, and that includes work from home. No vaccine will be ready until next year. Do we really feel this will be contained at this point? In a few months?

I guess they say suspension but I cannot see sports this year at all and probably next.

[TheScorpion]

the 2019-20 season will forfeit $15 million in salary during the suspension and will henceforth be considered a "repeat offender"

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Icon

suspended better than cancelled

I am not expecting this to go away quickly enough for the season to resume, just based on how it is lingering in places it first hit.

I wonder if there is a date set where they just call it if they can't start playing. If you can't resume by May, I would imagine there is no point and you might as well start preparing for next season.

[Tbull8]

So how is that going to work for ticket holders? especially people that buy through sites like FansFirst, etc.? Obviously there are more important things but just thinking of logistics

[canadiancactus]

The season flames fans all wanted to forget may be forgotten

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

I still don’t get the end game here, and that includes work from home. No vaccine will be ready until next year. Do we really feel this will be contained at this point? In a few months?

I guess they say suspension but I cannot see sports this year at all and probably next.

This is probably already on the site somewhere, but a great read here
https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coron...e-f4d3d9cd99ca

Short version. It can’t be stopped. Mitigation is about Reducing deaths.

[Canada 02]

question everyone is thinking about, will James Neal's goal total be pro-rated?

tongue in cheek comment, aside, some hockey decisions, trades, performance bonuses etc were based on player success and team success. Will be interesting to see how some issues are arbitrated

[sureLoss]

Darren Dreger @DarrenDreger
Sources indicate preference is for a short break. No practice for teams. Evaluate day by day.

[burn_baby_burn]

I wonder if and when season ticket holders will be reimbursed? Also, will they extend the renewal deadline? I would rather have the cash than a credit with all the uncertainty in the world right now.

[sureLoss]

Chris Johnston @reporterchris
The NHL season has officially been suspended. No surprise. There is hope to resume.

[JurassicTunga12]

Sucks, but makes sense obviously. Will be interesting how the NHL(along with the other leagues) handles the issues on the table in regards to schedule/standings/playoffs, the draft/free agency among other things.

[WacoKid]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

I still don’t get the end game here, and that includes work from home. No vaccine will be ready until next year. Do we really feel this will be contained at this point? In a few months?

I guess they say suspension but I cannot see sports this year at all and probably next.

The reason for these steps is one thing only. The objective is to slow transmission to mitigate against hospitals being overrun with patients. There are limited available resources, from doctors and nurses to isolation rooms to ventilators. We are trying to avoid what’s happening in Italy as we speak - critically ill patients being allowed to die on the basis of age or infirmity.

The endgame is that the virus will, with mathematical certainty, infect millions.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

I still don’t get the end game here, and that includes work from home. No vaccine will be ready until next year. Do we really feel this will be contained at this point? In a few months?

I guess they say suspension but I cannot see sports this year at all and probably next.

We don't know until it's a month or two down the road. No one can know one way or the other.

What annoys me about this board sometimes is people's knack for jumping way ahead to conclusions.

Just let it unfold and take things as they come. Because there are too many moving parts for any one of us to know for sure.

I know you want to play detective and the guy in the know, but nobody has that foresight in this situation. And that's what makes it so unprecedented.

[shadowlord]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

the 2019-20 season will forfeit $15 million in salary during the suspension and will henceforth be considered a "repeat offender"

NHLPA to file a grievance. Maintains that suspension to the 2019-20 season was not warranted, and that it was COVID-19 to blame.

NHL determines that upon review, the call on the ice stands.

Fans would normally be booing, but they're playing in an empty stadium.

[TheScorpion]

NHL statement

https://twitter.com/user/status/1238156578731294721

[JBR]

Our last memory of the NHL this season will be James Neal going top shelf on Mike Smith.

[Boreal]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

I still don’t get the end game here, and that includes work from home. No vaccine will be ready until next year. Do we really feel this will be contained at this point? In a few months?

I guess they say suspension but I cannot see sports this year at all and probably next.

It's not about containment anymore. It's about minimizing or delaying the spread of the virus so that its effects do not overwhelm the capacity of the healthcare system.

Here's an excellent breakdown.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1236713435293003776