The Dallas Stars had six players and two staff members tested positive for COVID-19, and the NHL expects the team to open the 2020-21 season no earlier than January 19.
Those who tested positive isolate themselves and follow the CDC and NHL protocols. The positive tests have forced the stars to close their training facilities, and they will remain closed for several days while further tests and contact tracking are conducted daily.
Under preseason NHL policy, the names of those who tested positive were not released.
The regular season of the NHL starts on Wednesday, January 13. Dallas, the reigning champion of the Western Conference, would be on the road for the first four games of the season, playing against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning in two games. game takes place until January 19. Their home opener is scheduled for January 22 against the Nashville Predators.
Dallas is one of four NHL teams planning to open the season with fans in attendance, with a 30% capacity cap of approximately 5,000 fans.
“The League is reviewing and overhauling the Stars’ regular season schedule with the expectation that the team will not open the 2020-21 season until Tuesday, January 19. The Stars organization has and will continue to follow it all. Recommended guidelines aimed at protecting the health and safety of players, staff and the community in general, as mandated by the NHL, local, state and national agencies, ”the NHL announced Friday.
The NHL and the NHLPA anticipated the possible postponement of games when drafting the 56-game schedule for this season and built in space to make them right.