WILD 568742262
Wild game against Vegas is off as NHL suspends season
The league followed the lead of the NBA in shutting down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune
MARCH 12, 2020 — 12:49PM
JEFF WHEELER • JEFF.WHEELER@STARTRIBUNE.COMThe Wild’s game tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights has been canceled.
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The Wild's season has been put on hold.
The NHL became the latest pro sports league to suspend its season Thursday amid the coronavirus pandemic, halting play with less than a month to go in the regular season.
The Wild-Vegas game set for tonight at Xcel Energy Center will not be played.
No timetable for a return to play was given by the NHL. Commissioner Gary Bettman said, in a statement, "Our goal is to resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent."
On Wednesday night, the NBA announced it was suspending its season after a player on the Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19, an illness caused by exposure to a novel coronavirus. By Thursday morning, MLS followed suit, suspending its season for 30 days.
Before the NHL's decision, the Wild canceled its morning skate and media availability — a hint of what was to come, as all NHL teams were instructed to cancel their morning skates, practices and team meetings. The Wild was scheduled to face Vegas at 7 p.m. .
The Wild had 13 games remaining on its schedule and at 35-27-7 with 77 points, it sat one point shy of a playoff spot.
Bettman released this statement:
"In light of ongoing developments resulting from the coronavirus, and after consulting with medical experts and convening a conference call of the Board of Governors, the National Hockey League is announcing today that it will pause the 2019 20 season beginning with tonight's games.
"The NHL has been attempting to follow the mandates of health experts and local authorities, while preparing for any possible developments without taking premature or unnecessary measures. However, following last night's news that an NBA player has tested positive for coronavirus — and given that our leagues share so many facilities and locker rooms and it now seems likely that some member of the NHL community would test positive at some point — it is no longer appropriate to try to continue to play games at this time.
"We will continue to monitor all the appropriate medical advice, and we will encourage our players and other members of the NHL community to take all reasonable precautions — including by self-quarantine, where appropriate. Our goal is to resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent, so that we will be able to complete the season and award the Stanley Cup. Until then, we thank NHL fans for your patience and hope you stay healthy."
The NHL Players Association responded with this statement: "The decision to temporarily suspend play due to the COVID-19 pandemic is an appropriate course of action at this time. The NHLPA will continue to closely monitor this very dynamic situation and remain in daily discussions with the league, our medical consultants, and our players regarding all aspects of this matter. The players are looking forward to the opportunity to resume play in front of hockey fans everywhere."
Sarah McLellan covers the Wild and NHL. Before joining the Star Tribune in November 2017, she spent five years covering the Coyotes for The Arizona Republic.