These are trying times with the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, putting halts to many of the professional sports leagues.
And now the NHL reportedly is starting to feel the impact of the crisis.
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan on Tuesday reported the league is “temporarily cutting the pay of league office employees by 25%.” beginning April 1. Doing this “temporary pay cut among league office employees” hopefully will allow the NHL to avoid layoffs, per Kaplan.
The NHL paused its season March 12, a day after the NBA indefinitely suspended operations when Utah Jazz Center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus. The Ottawa Senators are the only NHL team to have confirmed cases of the virus.
It’s unclear if, or when, the season will resume, but commissioner Gary Bettman is hopeful a 2019-20 Stanley Cup champion will be crowned, while the league still plans to have a full 2020-21 season despite what happens to the rest of this year’s games.
