Cross-Border Travel Suspended Until After Holiday Break

Due to the rise of COVID-19 cases, the NHL has paused cross-border travel until after the holiday break. With that, a total of 12 games have now been postponed.

They are as followed:

December 20th: Montreal Canadiens vs. New York Islanders, Anaheim Ducks vs. Edmonton Oilers

December 21st: St. Louis Blues vs. Ottawa Senators, Vancouver Canucks vs. San Jose Sharks

December 22nd: Montreal Canadiens vs. New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets vs. Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings

December 23rd: St. Louis Blues vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes vs. Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens vs. New Jersey Devils, Anaheim Ducks vs. Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers vs. San Jose Sharks

With all of these games postponed, there's no question that hockey fans are missing what surely would have been some fun contests before Christmas. However, when seeing as how COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing at this juncture, it makes sense for the league to suspend cross-border traveling.

The @NHLPA and @NHL have agreed to continue the 2021-22 regular-season schedule, with details of that agreement outlined at the link below and in this thread.

Details: https://t.co/lEKv4lZovh pic.twitter.com/Qxf8XBE7ni
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 19, 2021

These changes mean that many of these franchises will not be playing hockey until after Christmas Day. A long break from competitive play could be exactly what the doctor ordered for them, as many teams are not only dealing with illness, but also multiple injuries, too. Ultimately, this is just another way for the league to try to stop the spread of COVID-19, so it's hard to complain about it.