NHL, MLB latest to suspend operations over coronavirus
‘’(Supplied/CDC)‘’Add two more pro sports leagues to the growing list of organizations changing their plans in the wake of the spread of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, throughout the United States.
The National Hockey League has announced plans to suspend the 2019-2020 season, alongside earlier announcements from the NBA and Major League Soccer. In fact, the NHL’s decision is directly related to the NBA’s call, and is also no doubt connected to the fact that many NHL teams share facilities with their city’s NBA teams.
“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,” the NHL’s statement reads.
Major League Baseball also formally announce plans to suspend all operations, ESPN reports. Multiple MLB teams have removed personnel from the road already. The league plans on delaying the start of the regular season by at least two weeks.
The NCAA also announced that fans would be barred from attending postseason basketball games, and the NBA G-League followed in the footsteps of the NBA itself.
We’ve reached out to representatives from the ECHL and Minor League Baseball to see if those leagues, both with Fort Wayne teams, would also be shutting down temporarily. A representative from the Fort Wayne TinCaps says since all of their staff are MLB employees, they would likely be impacted as well.