NHL Postpones 2020 Draft, Scouting Event, Bridgestone Awards Over COVID-19

"The National Hockey League today announced the postponements of the 2020 NHL Scouting Combine, the 2020 Bridgestone NHL Awards, and the 2020 NHL Draft, which were originally scheduled for June 1-6 in Buffalo, N.Y., June 18 in Las Vegas, and June 26-27 in Montreal, respectively, due to the ongoing uncertainty resulting from the coronavirus," NHL said in a statement on late Wednesday.

"The location, timing and format of the 2020 NHL Draft (and Draft Lottery) will be announced when details are finalized. With

respect to the Bridgestone NHL Awards, the League looks forward to returning to Las Vegas in the future. Las Vegas has been the home of the Bridgestone NHL Awards since 2009," the league added.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a pandemic.

The rapid spread of the virus has led to the postponement of numerous of sport events and tournaments across the globe.

On Wednesday, the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo were officially postponed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for a period of 12 months due to the coronavirus outbreak.

As of Wednesday, WHO reported that the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally has surpassed 460,000 and over 20,800 deaths related to the disease have been registered.