Why the NHL hit pause on the season now, and what comes next

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10:18 AM ET

ESPN staff

The headlines on Monday night were stark, if unsurprising: The NHL was going to pause the 2021-22 season Wednesday, and resume after Christmas break, amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. This followed a flurry of team shutdowns that left a diminishing number of games on the schedule.

In the aftermath, we’re left with several questions: How will teams get “unpaused”? Will there be a change in protocols? How does this impact the Olympics and All-Star Weekend?

NHL reporters Emily Kaplan, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski dive into those questions and more to get you up to speed.

Why did the NHL decide to do this now?

Emily Kaplan: The NHL was getting ravaged by COVID-19 outbreaks. This week, 11 different teams had to suspend operations. As of Monday evening, more than 15% of players were on the league’s COVID-19 protocol list. And there was already a wave of postponements (49, to be exact) including the entire Wednesday night slate of games.

Though the NHL and NHLPA desperately tried to avoid a pause, it became inevitable. Since the schedule was so uneven, the NHL and NHLPA believed it was fair to have all teams on the same playing field with a few extra days off over the Christmas break, hopefully to recover. “Competitive balance” is a core belief for commissioner Gary Bettman.

The pause may have started even sooner, but there were only two games left scheduled for Tuesday: Capitals at Flyers (which was later announced as postponed on Tuesday afternoon) and Lightning at Golden Knights. The latter game will go on, pending test results on Tuesday. (The NHL moved into a daily testing cadence this week.)

As for guidance over the next several days, the NHL and NHLPA are not restricting travel for players over the Christmas break. However, they are recommending players avoid dining at restaurants (unless in a private area), and take appropriate precautions, like wearing masks indoors and avoiding public transportation.