NHL Becomes First Professional U.S. Sports League to Postpone Schedule Amid Omicron Fears

The National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players’ Association decided Monday to postpone any scheduled between December 22 and 25 amid a spike in COVID-19 cases.

The NHL cited “COVID-related postponements” as the reason behind the decision, per Just the News. This is the first professional sporting league in the U.S. to completely halt games because of the virus.

"Upon return from the Holiday Break to team facilities, no individual in the team's Traveling Party shall enter the facility (other than for testing purposes) until they have a negative test result," the league said in the statement.

The delay will allow players to begin their holiday break on Tuesday and the season will resume on December 27.

This season, 44 NHL games had already been postponed.