NHL Cancels International Games for 2020-21 Campaign

As everyone who hasn’t been living under a rock knows, there has been a lack of professional and college sports for nearly two months now. There are signs of life and hope toward things returning to some sense of normalcy in the coming weeks. One thing that we know for certain is how things are going to look for the NHL schedule for next season.

In an announcement made Friday by the league and the NHL Players Association, it was made clear that the international games on the schedule for the 2020-21 campaign have been canceled, more than likely due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the statement released, the league and Players Association said the following:

"The NHLPA and the NHL remain committed to maintaining and growing our international presence. We hope that our fans overseas understand the need to postpone the 2020 games, but we look forward to being back with them in 2021."

It’s a tough blow for the NHL as they look to expand their footprint in other places on the globe. The Boston Bruins and Nashville Predators were set to tangle in the season opening contests in Prague of the Czech Republic. In order to do that, the teams were going to stage their training camps in Germany and Switzerland, in addition to playing local teams from those countries for preseason tune-up games and scrimmages. Later in the season, the Colorado Avalanche and the Columbus Blue Jackets were expected to match up in a pair of games in Helsinki, Finland. That would have been a homecoming of sorts for Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo. Kekalainen, the first European-born general manager, expressed his disappointment about the cancellation Friday:

"We are disappointed by the postponement of our trip to Finland, but look forward to having the opportunity to play in front of Finland's passionate hockey fans in the future.”

Besides the games in Prague and Helsinki, the league had hoped to put together some sort of event in China. There had been preseason games held there in 2017-18 and 2018-19, though there weren’t any this past season. The issue for that was due to having difficulty finding suitable arenas to book. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said back in March that a return to China in the 2020-21 campaign was going to be difficult due to the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on the globe:

"We haven't announced anything. But it is unlikely we will play games in China next season, in part because of this [health crisis]."

It’s disappointing on several levels to see the league make this decision but it ultimately is the soundest decision when you get right down to brass tacks. With things being a problem as it stands with getting the 2019-20 season completed at this stage, worrying about games with additional travel would create a slew of headaches for the league and its officials. There are varying situations relating to the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe and it’s uncertain as to how things will look a few months from now. While the league would have loved to continue to expand its fan base by playing in different locales, it’s more important to finish the current season and figure out the best course of action for next season as opposed to exposing themselves to further potential issues.