Will coronavirus cancel major sporting events in Canada? What to know about COVID-19 for NHL, NBA, CHL games

Rudi Schuller

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Will coronavirus cancel major sporting events in Canada? What to know about COVID-19 for NHL, NBA, CHL games image

The coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread, with more than 445,000 people infected worldwide and 19,700 deaths attributed to the outbreak. Canada had 1959 confirmed cases as of March 24 with 27 deaths, according to canada.ca.

Around the world, sporting events are being postponed, cancelled or held with drastic changes as all public gatherings in Italy (including sporting events) have been suspended, while Spain's La Liga announced March 10 that games will be postponed for the next two matchdays (eventually shutting down the entire schedule indefinitely). The March 12 Manchester City vs. Arsenal fixture was postponed, and other Premier League matches may follow suit. Additionally, hockey's National League in Switzerland held games in empty arenas after that country banned gatherings of 1,000 people or more, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was postponed until next year as COVID-19 affects more of the global population.

Closer to home, several U.S.-based leagues have cancelled or postponed games while continuing to closely monitor the situation.

MORE: Every sporting event canceled so far as COVID-19 spreads in U.S., Canada

How have Canadian sports leagues and teams handled the outbreak, and what will be done if the coronavirus continues to spread?

NHL

The NHL announced March 12  that all league games are suspended indefinitely.

“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," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “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."

Prior to the shutdown, the league had kept media out of team locker rooms from March 7 onward and was planning hosting games in San Jose and Columbus without fans present.

On March 16, the league issued a directive to all players. The NHL's public relations Twitter account announced that players are allowed to travel home to any country but must self-quarantine until at least March 27 once they get there. After March 27, the league will make a decision on whether or not to allow teams to re-open their facilities. The tweet also mentioned that a possible training camp period could take place before the season resumes.

Approximately a week later, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, the NHL told all general managers that the self-quarantine period will be extended for 10 more days.

Additionally, the league announced March 25 that the scouting combine, NHL Awards and NHL Draft have been postponed indefinitely. All three events were originally scheduled for June.

IIHF Men's World Championship

The IIHF announced on March 21 the 2020 Men's World Championship was cancelled.

"This is a harsh reality to face for the international ice hockey family, but one we must accept," IIHF president Rene Fasel said in a statement. "The coronavirus is a global problem and requires major efforts by governmental bodies to combat its speed. The IIHF must do all it can to support this fight. We have to set sport aside for now and support the governmental bodies and ice hockey family." 

Canada Soccer

The Canadian Soccer Association announced March 13 that it has cancelled three international friendlies scheduled in British Columbia.

A pair of men's friendlies against Trinidad & Tobago were set for Westhills Stadium in Langford, B.C., on March 27 and 31, while the women were due to host Australia at BC Place in Vancouver on April 14. All three matches are cancelled outright, with fans who have purchased tickets to be refunded.

Additionally, Canada Soccer suspended all soccer activity across the country.

CHL

The Canadian Hockey League announced March 12 that "all hockey activity shall be paused immediately until further notice."

"The Canadian Hockey League and its three regional leagues, the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Western Hockey League, take the health and safety of our players, fans, volunteers, staff, and general public very seriously," a league statement read. "CHL President Dan MacKenzie with Commissioners David Branch, Gilles Courteau, and Ron Robison have been monitoring the situation in regards to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) including what local, provincial, and federal health agencies have recommended."

On March 17 the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League cancelled all remaining regular-season games in the 2019-20 season. 

The WHL and OHL followed suit 24 hours later, with both leagues' commissioners releasing statements Wednesday.

“The WHL takes the safety of our players, officials, staff, fans, and everyone associated with the WHL very seriously,” Robison said. “Given the ongoing public health developments regarding COVID-19, we deemed it necessary to cancel the remaining games on the 2019-20 WHL Regular Season Schedule."

“In the interest of the safety of our players, officials, staff, fans and the general public, it’s been agreed that the cancellation of the remainder of the 2019-20 regular season is the proper course of action to take at this time,” read Branch's statement.

March 23, the CHL announced the cancellation of the playoffs and Memorial Cup. It marks the first time in the history of the tournament — dating back to 1919 — a champion has not been named.

AHL

The American Hockey League announced on March 16 that it'll be suspending their season until at least May.

AHL followed the NHL in announcing a suspension of play on March 12.

"With the health and safety of our players, officials, staff and fans of primary importance, the American Hockey League has announced the suspension of play until further notice, effective immediately, due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic," a league statement read.

"The AHL will continue to monitor developments and will provide updates on the 2019-20 season at the appropriate time."

ECHL

The East Coast Hockey League announced Saturday (March 14) that they're canceling the 2019-20 season and playoffs.

"The decision by the ECHL to cancel the remainder of the 2019-20 season does not come lightly, as this is an emotional time for our players, coaches, member teams, fans and staff," ECHL commissioner Ryan Crelin said in a statement. "As each passing day raises additional concerns for the safety of those in the ECHL community and as we take precautionary measures in conjunction with our local authorities across the continent to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, it has become apparent that this is the prudent decision."

KHL

The KHL announced on Tuesday (March 17) that it was suspending the season until at least April 10.

The Gargarin Cup Playoffs had been underway since early March and were originally postponed for just one week. The move came after the Russian Ministry of Sport issued a recommendation for all sporting events to be called off for the time being.

On Wednesday (March 25), the league officially announced it has cancelled the remainder of the 2019-20 season and will decide on the final standings at an upcoming KHL board meeting.

“It's unfortunate that we have to finish the season early, and it wasn't an easy decision," said president Alexey Morozov in the league's statement. "I'm sure that every fan, along with us, wanted to see the conclusion of the competition. However, the health of players and their loved ones, club employees, employees of sports facilities, and, of course, the fans, is much more important.

"I remain hopeful that the current situation will not affect next season."

MLB

Major League Baseball announced on March 16 that it'll be pushing back the season matching the CDC's timeline of eight weeks of no gatherings over 50 people.

Baseball had announced on March 12 that it has cancelled Spring Training and will delay the start of the regular season by two weeks.

"MLB and the [c]lubs have been preparing a variety of contingency plans regarding the 2020 regular season schedule," a league statement read. "MLB will announce the effects on the schedule at an appropriate time and will remain flexible as events warrant, with the hope of resuming normal operations as soon as possible."

CFL

The Canadian Football League's season doesn't start until June, but the league still cancelled some preseason events and postponed the star of its preseason.

In a statement issued March 12, CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said: "we are cancelling our plans for regional scouting combines (in Montreal March 13 and in Edmonton March 20) and the CFL Combine (in Toronto March 26-28)." Additionally, a media and content "car wash" scheduled for March 23-24 in Toronto has also been canceled.

On March 30, Ambrosie announced that training camps would not start on time. They were originally set for May 17, with rookie camps due to begin six days earlier.

“The ongoing global pandemic and the resulting directives issued by various governments make it unsafe to proceed with plans to gather our athletes and coaches together as scheduled," Ambrosie said.

 

CPL

The Canadian Premier League announced March 20 that it would be delaying the start of its 2020 season.

“The CPL has made the difficult decision to postpone the start of the 2020 season, scheduled to commence on April 11, 2020," read a statement from commissioner David Clanachan. "We have made this decision in support of the announcement by Canada Soccer on March 13th banning all sanctioned soccer activities in Canada, and the directive by our respective governments and health officials to ban all public gatherings.

"We will continue to work with all of those authorities in order to make a decision on when to begin our 2020 season when it is declared safe by the relevant health and government agencies, including our governing body Canada Soccer."

MLS

After originally suspending league play on March 12 for a 30-day period, MLS announced a week later that it will adhere to the CDC's recommendation and extend the postponement through May 10.

On March 25, the league extended its moratorium on player training and announced that it will review individual players' cases in terms their respective relocations outside of their teams' markets.

Women's World Curling Championship

The Canadian Press reports that the women's world curling championship, scheduled to begin March 14 in Prince George, B.C., has been cancelled.

World Figure Skating Championships

The Bell Centre in Montreal was scheduled to host the ISU World Figure Skating Championships, but on Wednesday it was reported by the Canadian Press' Lori Ewing that the event has been cancelled.

The report came hours after Quebec Premier Francois Legault said, "there are chances it will be cancelled." The event was scheduled for March 18-22.

IIHF Women's World Championship

The IIHF announced Saturday that the 2020 Women's World Championship was cancelled. The tournament was scheduled to be held March 31-April 10 in Halifax and Truro, N.S.

"Due to the ongoing spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the IIHF Council has agreed today to cancel the 2020 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, following a recommendation by public health experts," read an IIHF statement. "Subject to formal approval by the IIHF Congress, the 2020 hosts cities Halifax and Truro will instead host the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship."

NBA

Multiple NBA team executives originally considered playing without crowds as a last resort, according to USA Today. The Athletic reported March 6 that the league holds a similar view, telling teams in a memo that they should begin preparing for games with no spectators present and identifying "essential staff" to work in arenas, in case the need arises.  

All four major U.S. sports leagues have suggested that athletes avoid high-fives. The NBA sent out a memo that discouraged high-fives and underlined the concern for the illness.

On March 11, the NBA announced it was suspending the 2019-20 season after a player — reportedly the Utah Jazz's Rudy Gobert — tested positive for coronavirus. 

MORE: On the NBA's decision to suspend the season

Toronto Raptors players, who faced Gobert and the Jazz on March 9, were tested for the virus and ordered by the team to self-quarantine for 14 days.

Olympics

After some nations — including Canada — announced they would not be sending their athletes to Tokyo 2020 if it went ahead in the summer as planned, the IOC and Japanese government officially announced on March 24 that the summer Games would be postponed until 2021.

"In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO [World Health Organisation], the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community," an IOC statement read.

WTA & ATP

A year after Bianca Andreescu announced herself to the tennis world at Indian Wells, the tournament commonly referred to as the "fifth Grand Slam" was cancelled.

“We are very disappointed that the tournament will not take place, but the health and safety of the local community, fans, players, volunteers, sponsors, employees, vendors, and everyone involved with the event is of paramount importance,” tournament director Tommy Haas said in a statement. “We are prepared to hold the tournament on another date and will explore options.”

Although Andreescu had already announced that she would not be participating due to her ongoing recovery from a knee injury, several Canadians were scheduled to participate in the main draw, including Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, Milos Raonic and 17-year-old rising star Leylah Annie Fernandez.

On Monday (March 16), the WTA cancelled scheduled tournaments in Stuttgart, Istanbul and Prague and suspended the Tour until at least May 2. 

Roland-Garros announced on Tuesday (March 17) that the French Open has been postponed to the Fall.

The tournament will now take place from Sep. 20 through Oct. 4. Rafael Nadal and Ash Barty will be looking to defend their titles, with Nadal seeking his 13th French Open title. 

Rudi Schuller