The NHL shut down two more teams through the Christmas holiday break on Friday, eager to avoid putting all 32 on pause amid worsening COVID-19 test results across the league. A total of 20 NHL games have now been postponed, the majority of which have come in recent days, and roughly 10 percent of the 700-plus players are currently in the league’s virus protocol.
While teams are reporting mostly asymptomatic or mild cases among players, the growing number of positive tests is adding to concerns that the NHL will not send its players to the Winter Olympics in China and threatening to upend a schedule for a league with seven teams in Canada that relies on cross-border travel more than any other.
