Teams won’t be allowed to disclose injuries during the playoffs

Given the unique circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, effective with the start of Phase 3 (Monday, July 13) and, including the entirety of the Phase 4 Return to Play, the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association have mutually agreed that Clubs are not permitted to disclose Player injury and/or illness information. This policy was adopted out of respect for an individual Player’s right to medical privacy. The League will continue to announce, on a regular basis throughout Phase 3 and Phase 4, positive Player test results for COVID-19 while not releasing individual Player or Team identities.

So I’ll start by saying that we’ve obviously dealt with that situation and talked to the Players’ Association about it and continue to feel that medical privacy is important in this process. Having said that, we understand as a league we have an obligation of some transparency with respect to the COVID virus in particular. At least for now, we’re going to maintain a policy where the league is announcing basically league numbers, and clubs are really prohibited from giving any information with respect to COVID test results, and for purposes of making the system work, any injury information going forward.

We will be releasing numbers. We’ll be releasing positive test numbers that the media and the public will know what kind of situation we’re in, but we don’t want to be in a situation where we’re doing it on a club-by-club basis or a player-by-player basis because I think the interests of medical privacy are important, and we’re going to protect them.

Yeah, I would just — the only thing really to add here is that it was a high priority for guys, no question. Early on, on one or two teams, there were a couple of positive tests, and the guys are very sensitive to it. Obviously they’re contacting everyone that they know that they’ve been in touch with, and the ID tracing. But it was very important to the players, to answer it directly.