AHL cancels remainder of 2019-20 season
The American Hockey League (AHL) announced Monday it has canceled the remainder of the 2019-20 season because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Given that the league’s revenues are primarily driven by ticket sales as opposed to television contracts, this is a decision which had been expected for several weeks.
The AHL has not played any games since March 11 just prior to halting play.
In a statement, AHL president and chief executive officer David Andrews said:
“After a lengthy review process, the American Hockey League has determined that the resumption and completion of the 2019-20 season is not feasible in light of current conditions.
“The League’s operational focus has turned toward actively preparing for the 2020-21 season.
“We are very grateful to the National Hockey League and its teams for their support and leadership in navigating through the challenges faced over the past two months.
“The AHL continues to place paramount importance on the health and safety of our players, officials, staff and fans and all of their families, and we all look forward to returning to our arenas in 2020-21.”
Additionally, the statement indicated the AHL’s standings — sorted by points percentage — and statistics as of March 12, 2020, are considered final and official, and will serve as the basis for determining league awards for the season.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins played their final game March 11 — a 2-1 overtime road win against the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms — and finished with a 29-26-3-5 record, good enough for sixth place in the North Division.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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