The 2019-20 NHL season is suspended due to coronavirus concerns

According to multiple reports starting with Brett Cyrgalis of The New York Post, the NHL will suspend the 2019-20 season effective Wednesday due to concerns about the Covid-19 coronavirus. The NHL also released a statement, saying that they will “pause” rather than suspend play.

That means that the Washington Capitals’ game against the Detroit Red Wings tonight at 7 p.m. ET will be postponed at a minimum.

Though no NHL players have been confirmed to have the coronavirus as of the time of this writing, many NHL teams play in the same arenas as NBA teams. That is the case in Washington, D.C., where the Capitals play at Capital One Arena along with the Wizards.

In addition, it isn’t uncommon to see NHL and NBA players meet each other during games or at least attend them. Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov attended the Wizards’ last home game against the New York Knicks on Mar. 10.

The Knicks were put into self-quarantine for 14 days because they played within the last 10 days against the Utah Jazz, where Rudy Gobert was found to have the coronavirus yesterday. Furthermore, Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell also has coronavirus after being tested along with the rest of the Utah team.

The Wizards are currently under a 3-4 day self-quarantine. It would not be surprising if the Capitals and some other NHL teams enter similar procedures themselves.

For more Capitals news, check out Japer’s Rink, SB Nation’s Caps blog.