(Reuters) – The National Hockey League (NHL) has shut down the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens at least through Dec. 26 due to the continued spread of COVID-19, the league announced on Monday.
The NHL said the decision was made in consultation with the NHL players’ association (NHLPA) and the club medical groups.
“A decision on when each team’s training facilities will re-open will be made by the league and the NHLPA in the coming days,” the NHL said in a statement.
“The league is in the process of reviewing and revising the regular season schedule.”
The NHL had already shut down the Boston Bruins, Nashville Predators, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers because of the rising number of players testing positive for the virus.
The disruptions to the league schedule cloud the NHL’s plans to send the world’s top players to the Feb. 4-20 Beijing Olympics.
The NHL agreed to a break in its schedule to allow players to compete in Beijing with the caveat that it could withdraw on its own if an abundance of COVID-19 disruptions forced games to be rescheduled during the Olympic window.
The NHL and NHLPA said on Sunday said they were in discussions and expect to make a decision in the coming days about whether to participate in the Beijing Games.
The NHL has until Jan. 10 to withdraw from the Beijing Olympics without financial penalty.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
