NHL to Pause Schedule From Dec. 22–25 Amid COVID-19 Outbreaks

The NHL will briefly go on hiatus as the league deals with a wave of COVID-19 absences.

The NHL will pause its season beginning Wednesday amid a surge in positive COVID-19 cases, according to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. 

The 2021–22 season will remain paused through Christmas. Players are set to return to their respective team facilities on Dec. 26, one day before the schedule is set to resume.

COVID-19 absences led to a stream of postponements in recent days. 11 teams suspended operations entering Monday, and all cross-border matchups across the United States and Canada have been postponed. There have been 44 games postponed this season, and more than 15% of the league is in the COVID-19 protocol. 

The NHL will announce its decision on player participation in the 2022 Winter Olympics “in the coming days,” per a league statement. The NHL is currently slated to take a three-week break for the Olympics in early February, though that plan could change amid the rising COVID-19 cases. 

NHL players did not participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics.