The NHL and 2019-20 San Jose Sharks have agreed to cancel games at the SAP Center Amid concerns of COVID-19 spreading. Santa Clara County public health officer has recently banned events exceeding 1,000 people. The ban goes into effect on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. The Sharks have announced that they do plan to abide by the ban that the county has put into effect. They also said that they will weigh options on a game-by-game basis.
Statement from the #SJSharks.https://t.co/tjUEexvhUW pic.twitter.com/WklubYLu4n
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) March 10, 2020
What This Means for the 2019-20 San Jose Sharks
If the Sharks end up playing the game in their main rink, it would be the first NHL game that would be played without fans present. However, it would not be the first time a major sports event has been played in an empty stadium. The Baltimore Orioles hosted a game on April 29th, 2015 vs Chicago White Sox that, due to issues in the city at the time, was also played with no fans in attendance.
The idea to play with no fans is one that is circulating around all major sports right now. It comes in response to a recommendation from the Central for Disease Control (CDC). Many teams, players, and fans have voiced their opinion on the idea but no teams have officially gone that way, yet.
Options for the Sharks
The Sharks do have some options however considering the restrictions. They can play the game at SAP Center and make it a highly restricted event to limit only 1,000 fans. Some other choices the Sharks have include moving the game to a different venue. A few of the options could be places like Oakland or Portland, as some fans have noted. According to John Shannon the NHL is looking into a few options including playing in an empty building, neutral site, the visitors building or postponing the game and rescheduling it for a later date.
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