The NHL has postponed a total of 10 additional games, one being for COVID-19-related issues and nine others due to Canadian attendance restrictions, the league announced Tuesday.
Wednesday’s contest between the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings was the game delayed due to COVID-19.
The Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs all saw at least one of their games affected by the rescheduling decision.
The postponements impacting games played in Canadian cities comes amid a series of measures put in place by local governments, aimed at stemming the dramatic surge of COVID-19 cases seen across the country, which placed limits on how many fans could be in attendance in the arena.
In delaying the games, the league could generate more revenue at a later date when bigger audiences become a possibility, though given the unpredictability of the pandemic, it remains to be seen whether or not that will come to fruition before season’s end.
Ontario was the first provincial government to announce a capacity limit for NHL or NBA teams this season, capping the attendance for indoor venues like Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Canadian Tire Centre, home of the Ottawa Senators, at 50 per cent.
“This measure is being taken to reduce opportunities for close contact in high-risk indoor settings with large crowds and when masks are not always worn,” the Ontario government said in a media release when announcing the rules.
That mid-December decision was followed shortly by a request from Quebec’s health officials which saw the Canadiens suspend the hosting of fans in the Bell Centre, marking the strongest measure so far of its kind taken by a province that has an NHL team.
Shortly after the game Montreal played in an empty arena, evoking memories of the pandemic’s earlier days, the province announced a 50 per cent capacity limit for indoor venues with 1,000 or more people going forward, but increasing case counts led to a ruling that no spectators would be allowed to attend sports events as of Dec. 20.
British Columbia took the same 50 per-cent limit approach, saying the rule would remain in effect until at least Jan. 31.
The Canadiens adopted an optimistic tone at the time of Quebec’s 50 per-cent ruling about the future of hosting fans in Montreal, noting the franchise had “obtained assurances” that, beginning with games in January, the organization will return to “a partial capacity scenario and be able to host fans once more.”
With four home games, spanning Jan. 4 to Jan. 10, affected by Tuesday’s postponements, it remains to be seen how soon fans will be making their Bell Centre return.
In Manitoba, the Winnipeg Jets initially attempted to carry on with hosting fans at 100 per cent capacity, despite the prevalence of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, noting a high degree of safety-measure compliance by fans who attended games. Days later, the Manitoba government implemented similar limits to large gatherings as Quebec, causing the Jets to announce that no fans would be attending games until at least Jan. 11.
Alberta, the last province which hosts NHL teams to adopt capacity limits, implemented the same 50 per cent restriction on venues which host 1,000 people or more as Ontario, B.C. and Quebec did on Dec. 21.
The divergent timelines for when policies came into effect stems from provinces, not the federal government, being responsible for making capacity rules, underscoring the logistical challenges of coming up with a unified approach in how to best handle playing NHL games in Canada amid the pandemic.
Capacity in Canadian arenas slowly went up in provinces across the country over the summer and fall, but rising case counts and the emergence of the Omicron variant put the discourse over how to host fans safely back in the spotlight.
The NHL now has had a total of 80 games postponed this season.
The list of games postponed for attendance reasons
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, led the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan vote her first year on the ballot — an important part to possible selection to the hall’s next class.
The organization released the voting results on Friday. American doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan finished second with Canada’s Daniel Nestor third.
The Hall of Fame said tens of thousands of fans from 120 countries cast ballots. Fan voting is one of two steps in the hall’s selection process. The second is an official group of journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers from the sport who vote on the ballot for the hall’s class of 2025.
“I am incredibly grateful to the fans all around the world who supported me during the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan votes,” Sharapova said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and having the fans’ support makes it all the more special.”
Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 in the world. She won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. She also won the French Open twice, in 2012 and 2014.
Sharapova was also part of Russia’s championship Fed Cup team in 2008 and won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
To make the hall, candidates must receive 75% or higher on combined results of the official voting group and additional percentage from the fan vote. Sharapova will have an additional three percentage points from winning the fan vote.
The Bryans, who won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, will have two additional percentage points and Nestor, who won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, will get one extra percentage point.
The hall’s next class will be announced late next month.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.
“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.
The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.
“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”
Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.
He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.
When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.
“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.
Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.
Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.
