Canucks notebook: COVID, management rumours, return of the skate?
By Joshua Rey
There isn’t going to be any Vancouver Canucks hockey to watch until after the Christmas break but let’s go over some of the latest updates and rumours surrounding the team.
More Canucks and NHL games postponed as well as Abbotsford.
It was announced on Sunday that two more Canucks games have been postponed.
Tuesday’s game against the San Jose Sharks and Thursday’s games against the Anaheim Ducks have been postponed.
The NHL announced today due to the concern about cross-border travel, and given the fluid nature of federal travel restrictions, next Tuesday's Vancouver-San Jose game and Thursday's Anaheim-Vancouver game have been postponed.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 19, 2021
DETAILS | https://t.co/bAt8Sgv8HD pic.twitter.com/HFEhnE4XHE
The decision was based on the NHL deciding to postpone cross-border games through December 23.
The @NHLPA and @NHL have agreed to postpone cross-border games through Dec. 23.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 19, 2021
A full list of NHL postponements to date can be found here: https://t.co/PfY1NKP3ZR pic.twitter.com/oePGmBLpKo
The NHL’s participation in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing looks like it is hanging by a thread. However, discussions between the NHL and NHLPA are still ongoing.
The @NHL / @NHLPA discussion on Olympic participation is ongoing, with a final determination expected in the coming days.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 19, 2021
Details: https://t.co/lEKv4lZovh pic.twitter.com/DAtgXkHoNu
On Monday, it was also announced that the Abbotsford Canucks have had their two games against the Tuscon Roadrunners postponed. Those games were supposed to be played at the Abbotsford Centre on December 22 and December 23. Abbotsford played the weekend in Henderson against the Silver Knights. They won Saturday’s game 3-2 and lost 3-1 on Sunday.
American Hockey League re-schedules upcoming Abbotsford Canucks Games on Dec. 22 and 23 due to COVID-19 protocols, travel concerns.
— Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) December 20, 2021
READ MORE | https://t.co/Q0Su2KZ18g
Nine NHL teams have been shut down through the holiday break including the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche, and Montreal Canadiens.
The Seattle Kraken and Arizona Coyotes were supposed to play Monday night as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils. However, the league has postponed those games. The Dallas Stars-Minnesota Wild game is still went ahead.
According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the NHL will suspend operations from December 22-25 but we shall wait for an official announcement which is likely coming Tuesday.
Sources tell @DailyFaceoff: #NHL, #NHLPA have agreed to suspend all operations for Dec. 22-25 and will re-open team facilities on Dec. 26 no earlier than 2pm local time. No practice, no testing during those days.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) December 21, 2021
Tuesday’s 2 remaining games will be played - pending test results.