The NHL's chief medical officer said Wednesday he expects the coronavirus pandemic to get worse before it gets better in North America and differences across 31 markets are likely to affect when players might get back on the ice.
Dr. Winne Meeuwisse said it is difficult to predict when cases of COVID-19 might peak or begin to decrease, which muddles any potential timeline for the resumption of practices or games.
Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said league officials “continue to hold out hope that at some point we'll be able to resume play,” but it's also too early to know whether fans would be allowed in arenas should that happen.