The National Hockey League announced today that it is postponing major events such as the Scouting Combine, NHL Awards and the upcoming 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
The @NHL has announced the postponements of the 2020 NHL Scouting Combine, the 2020 Bridgestone NHL Awards and the 2020 NHL Draft. https://t.co/m0mXPAyIhN #NHLCombine #NHLDraft #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/iWZjW1Yw1f
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 25, 2020
NHL Postpones Major Events
The National Hockey League has postponed these events due to the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. These events were originally scheduled for June. The combine was supposed to be held from June 1-6 in Buffalo, New York. The NHL awards were supposed to be held on June 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the draft was supposed to be held in Montreal, Quebec, from June 26-27th.
In a press release, the league wrote, “The location, timing and format of the 2020 NHL Draft (and Draft Lottery) will be announced when details are finalized.”
The NHL is also committed to keeping the awards in Las Vegas. They have been hosted there since 2009.
The National Hockey League is the only major sports league to officially postpone their draft. The NFL draft is still scheduled to take place from April 23rd-25th. However, they cancelled for it to be held publicly in Las Vegas. The NBA draft is still scheduled for June 25th in Brooklyn, New York.
Adds to the Uncertainty
These events join the uncertainty surrounding the NHL season. Right now the season is postponed with no clear idea on when/if it will resume. In an article written by Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, he reports that the NHL will not shrink the 2020-2021 season to accommodate the finish of this season. Johnston writes that the NHL has a time-line of late July to finish the season, although teams have been requested to supply the league with August availability.
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