The NHL announced it is pausing its season as of Wednesday, two days before its planned Christmas break.
All NHL facilities will be shut down through Saturday. That means five more games scheduled for Thursday will now be canceled and brings the total to 49 games postponed this season.
Of the more than 700 players in the league, over 15% are in the coronavirus protocol. Play is scheduled to resume Dec. 27.
The league is also evaluating sending players to the Beijing Winter Olympics in just 45 days.
Two games slated for Tuesday are still set to go on as scheduled.
