(Reuters) – The Dallas Stars placed five players in COVID-19 protocol, while the Buffalo Sabres did the same for head coach Don Granato and two of its players, as National Hockey League (NHL) teams returned to practice on Sunday after an extended holiday break.
The NHL’s holiday break started early last week as COVID-19 cases rose. On Friday it postponed Monday’s 14-game schedule to give teams more time to test players and staff and assess their ability to compete.
The Stars, whose Finnish defenceman Jani Hakanpaa had previously entered protocol, added two support staff members to the list, while the New York Islanders placed four of its players in protocol.
Last week the league said it would not send players to the men’s ice hockey tournament at the Beijing Winter Olympics, citing the “profound disruption” to its regular-season schedule from the pandemic.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Richard Chang)
