i) We will continue to play the 2021-22 regular-season schedule. Although there has been a recent increase in positive COVID test results among Players, coaches and hockey staff, there have been a low number of positive cases that have resulted in concerning symptoms or serious illness. Therefore, the NHLPA's and NHL's medical experts have determined that, with virtually all Players and Club hockey staff fully vaccinated, the need to temporarily shut down individual teams should continue to be made on a case-by-case basis. The effects of recently introduced enhanced prevention and detection measures will be evaluated daily. The NHL and NHLPA, along with their medical experts, will be monitoring not only the number and pattern of positive COVID results, but also the depth of Club line-ups so as to ensure both the health and safety of the Players and the integrity of League competition.
ii) Due to the concern about cross-border travel and, given the fluid nature of federal travel restrictions, effective on Monday, all games involving a Canadian-based team playing a U.S.-based team from Monday, Dec. 20 through the start of the Holiday break on Dec. 23, will be postponed and rescheduled. Those additional postponements include:
Monday, Dec. 20:
Montreal @ NY Islanders; Anaheim @ Edmonton
Tuesday, Dec. 21:
St. Louis @ Ottawa; Vancouver @ San Jose
Wednesday, Dec. 22:
Montreal @ NY Rangers; Winnipeg @ Dallas; Edmonton @ Los Angeles
Thursday, Dec. 23:
St. Louis @ Toronto; Carolina @ Ottawa; Montreal @ New Jersey; Anaheim @ Vancouver;
Edmonton @ San Jose
NOTE: Anaheim's game originally scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 21 at Calgary had already been postponed.
iii) Given the disruption to the NHL's regular-season schedule caused by recent COVID-related events - 27 games had been postponed as of Saturday and at least 12 more will be postponed through Dec. 23 - and the continued uncertainty caused by the ongoing COVID pandemic, the NHL and NHLPA are actively discussing the matter of NHL Player participation in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, and expect to be in a position to announce a final determination in the coming days.
With the number one priority of maintaining the health and safety of our NHL community, and amid changing and unpredictable conditions, we are determined to remain flexible and adaptable both in terms of scheduling and in adjusting Protocols as necessary.
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Ducks coach Dallas Eakins spoke to the media Sunday afternoon about the postponements:
On whether the team had contingency plans for today's travel
There's been so many different plans in place. Planning to go on the road trip, trying to make sure that we didn't get our players or staff caught (in Canada) during Christmas. David Schenker, our team services manager that gets us organized through all of our travel, has done just an amazing job the last 72 hours trying to make sure we had all our bases covered. Now that it has simply come to this, we'll get some work in this week and then we'll take our break for Christmas and get back at it.
On whether the team was ready to travel this morning
We were ready to travel. We had a really good practice this morning. Guys all had their suits on, bags were packed, we got done with practice and then we got word that the they might shut down cross-border travel. So, we just simply pushed our flight back and we kind of just sat and waited. The NHL and NHLPA were able to come to some agreement and let us know. Most of the guys scattered out of there.
On if the players were disappointed
They were pretty even keel. We've done an excellent job, think about since COVID started. I think we only have one positive test. Think about that. That's two years of (the pandemic) and we have one positive test. I think we were confident that we could travel and not get it. The real question mark was if we did have a player, or multiple players or staff, get it while in Canada, were we going to be able to get them home for the holidays. If it wasn't the holiday, I don't think any of this would have happened. I think we would have just gone about our business. We're in a league that doesn't really stop. Most people take a week or a couple weeks off. Schools shut down around this time of year. We take three days off and that's it. It is a special time for our guys to be with their families so that was weighing on their minds. I think it's always split. We're disappointed to not go play because we're competitive people, but we're also happy that we know for sure that we can be with families over the holiday break.
