- Maple Leafs’ Morgan Rielly enters virus protocol
- More Premier League matches called off
Rielly into health and safety protocol
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Thursday that defenceman Morgan Rielly and a staff member have entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.
The Maple Leafs now have a total of 12 players — including captain John Tavares and goaltender Jack Campbell — in isolation along with head coach Sheldon Keefe, two assistants, and four other members of the organization.
The NHL shut down for its annual Christmas break after Tuesday night’s lone remaining game. Four contests originally scheduled for Wednesday and 14 for Thursday are among the 45 that have been postponed since Dec. 13 due to pandemic-related concerns.
The league is scheduled to resume play with 14 games on Monday, including Toronto at Columbus, although more postponements are possible with a number of clubs dealing with multiple COVID-19 cases.
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Premier League Boxing Day matches postponed
Coronavirus outbreaks at Leeds and Watford have led to two Premier League matches scheduled for Sunday being postponed in the latest disruption to the competition caused by cases rising in squads.
Leeds was due to travel to Liverpool and Watford was set to play at Wolverhampton as part of the Boxing Day program that still features seven games.
The Premier League has now called off 12 matches due to coronavirus issues in two weeks, with players having to isolate after testing positive or if they are unvaccinated and a close contact of a COVID-19 case.
“The league is aware that the decision to postpone these two matches will disappoint supporters and understands their frustrations at a special time of year when fans look forward to attending and watching football games,” the Premier League said in a statement on Thursday.
Games are also being wiped out lower down the leagues, with six of Sunday’s 10 matches in the second-tier Championship postponed.
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