The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens have postponed all team activities until after the NHL’s Christmas break.
The announcements come after the NHL postponed the 12 remaining cross-border games from Dec. 20-23, meaning all seven Canadian NHL teams won’t play again until at least Dec. 27.
As of Saturday, the Maple Leafs had seven players and two coaches in COVID protocol, including captain John Tavares and head coach Sheldon Keefe. The Canadiens added forward Laurent Dauphin to protocols Sunday, giving them two players currently in it.
Not all Canadian teams are pausing activities yet despite the game postponements. The Winnipeg Jets, who had two games postponed, announced they would hold practice on Tuesday and Wednesday before breaking for Christmas. The NHL schedule includes three days off for the holiday from Dec. 24-26.
In addition to the Maple Leafs and Canadiens, the Avalance, Flames, Predators, Panthers, Bruins, and Red Wings have all been shut down as a precaution due to rising COVID-19 cases. So far, the NHL has postponed 40 games this season and more than 100 players have entered the protocol in the last week.
“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,” the NHL said in a statement. “Therefore … 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.”
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