NHL players and staff are asked to stay away from arenas and isolate themselves while league activities are suspended for an uncertain period (see also our news).
In a telephone interview, Commissioner Gary Bettman said that, to his knowledge, no player or employee in the league has tested positive for COVID-19. He added, however, that he was not aware if a player or employee was feeling ill or was awaiting virus test results.
Bettman did not want to set a timetable for the NHL break. He said the league is evaluating several scenarios on how to resume the season and award the Stanley Cup.
Bettman did not rule out the possibility of matches being played behind closed doors, but said that resumption of activities would only occur when the situation was safe. However, he did not specify a date for resumption of activities or until when they could be extended this summer.
But it’s not that simple: many contracts expire on July 1 and extending them, even for a few weeks to complete the playoffs, could be a problem for insurers.
In the history of the North American League, the trophy was awarded twice on June 24. Both times, it was after partial work stoppages in 1994-1995 and in 2012-2013,
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