NHL: 5 takeaways from a busy week of coronavirus news
By Paul Taylor
There is no denying this has been a week unlike any other for the world of professional sports, with the growing impact of the coronavirus. Here are five takeaways from an NHL perspective.
To say this has been a surreal week for the NHL and everyone connected with it, would be a significant understatement. As novel coronavirus continues to spread, you almost feel like this is some sort of movie plotline.
Sadly for all of us this is not the case and we can only hope that the situation improves sooner than later for one and all. In the meantime, we consider the implications for the NHL both for this season and beyond, as we count down our five takeaways from the last few days:
5) The initial reaction to the NHL officially suspending the season
When the NHL shared a press release officially confirming the 2019-20 season was being suspended, it came as no surprise. And yet it still felt like a shocking turn of events to hockey fans everywhere, despite the recent calls to follow this very course of action.
This was arguably because the NHL’s decision was the moment when reality finally hit home for a lot of people. The full seriousness of the situation regarding novel coronavirus could no longer be denied by those who were looking to sport for escapism.
Whenever something serious takes place somewhere around the globe, people will often turn to sports as a form of distraction from the real world. However, the phrase that “sport often reflects society” has never been more true.
Interestingly, in respect of escapism, the NHL did try to end their press release on a positive note. As per NHL Public Relations, they wrote:
"“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. Until then, we thank NHL fans for your patience and hope you stay healthy.”"