In one of the bolder moves that an American sports league has made out of concern surrounding the spread of the coronavirus, the National Hockey League will close the team dressing rooms to media for the time being, according to multiple reports. This decision was made as a result of a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Per multiple reports, formal press conferences will still be held.
This is not the first decision done out of concern for the disease. The NHL has already implemented a policy where league office employees are banned from traveling outside of the U.S. and Canada.
Deputy commissioner Bill Daly spoke of possible plans with regards to the Stanley Cup playoffs if the growing threat of the virus continues to worsen. He considered going the route of the NCAA and holding games without fans was a bit too much.
"I think it's very unlikely -- knock on wood, I'm hopeful -- that we would progress to a stage where we have to consider something that dramatic," Daly told ESPN. "But certainly everything is possible, and we have to look at all possible contingencies. If it gets to that point, we will be ready."
This is just the latest in a long line of sports leagues around the world attempting to operate around the spread of coronavirus. Other countries have outright canceled or postponed games to limit the potential spread of the virus, while others have held league games without fans, like soccer in Italy. A Division III men's basketball NCAA Tournament game became what believed to be the first sporting event in the U.S. to be held without fans.
