The Vancouver Canucks have cancelled practices and workouts scheduled for Sunday due to potential exposure of COVID-19. In the release, the team says the decision was made out of an abundance of caution. They are the fourth NHL covid situation for teams. Others have had to cancel practices and they are the first in Canada.
#CanucksCamp practices and workouts for today are cancelled. The decision was made out of an abundance of caution due to potential exposure of COVID-19.
Details regarding tomorrow’s schedule will be announced later today.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 10, 2021
NHL COVID Concerns Cause Canucks to Cancel Practice
The Canucks cancelling practices three days before their opening night is worrying. But the statement is not alarming and the event seems to be only out of caution. However, it is yet to be decided if there will be a need to postpone any games or not. The team did not give any further details on players’ or staff health. Details on their schedule for Monday will be announced soon.
For the past three days, this type of statement has been a constant among NHL teams. It started with the Dallas Stars shutting down their facilities on Friday. The Columbus Blue Jackets cancelled their practices on Friday and held 19 players out of practice due to the COVID-19 protocols. On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Penguins also cancelled their practices out of an abundance of caution.
Of course, this doesn’t come as a surprise. With no schedule for the new season, a good amount of players went back to their home countries. The staff members continued their lives until the NHL decided what to do. The number of cases spiked. As the season starts and tests begin to occur, it is impossible not to have at least one positive result.
Going Forward
However, the league seems to be focused on keeping the start of the 2020-21 season on the 13th. The fans must prepare to have games postponed due to COVID as another bubble seems to be out of the question for now.
This will be a long, different season once again. Monitoring the situation and being willing to cancel the season should be the NHL’s go-to when dealing with potential mass exposure to COVID. As for now, no statement from the league has been released.
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