Amid growing concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 virus from China, to Europe and now the United States, the NHL announced on March 12th that its season would be suspended. It occurred less than 24 hours after the announcement of the NBA suspending their season when word came out that Utah Jazz forward Rudy Gobert had tested positive for the virus and likely also infected fellow teammates, competitors, staff, media and possibly fans.
Just hours later, the AHL and the ECHL also announced the suspensions of their seasons with other sports leagues following suit. The decision made was the appropriate one as leagues looked at the safety of its players, staff, media and the fans to ensure that no further spread of the virus would happen.