New York Rangers veteran Henrik Lundqvist is one of several Europeans on the New York Rangers roster who could return to his native land during the NFL’s pause due to the coronavirus.
National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed on March 11 that the sport would follow the lead of the NBA in suspending its season until further notice following the pandemic. Sportsbooks, but not NJ online casinos, are already in loss due to lack of sports to bet.
Rangers team-mates Mika Zibanejad and Kaapo Kakko—from Sweden and Finland, respectively—have already decided to return to their European abodes, and Lundqvist (also from Sweden) could follow suit.
Larry Brooks of the New York Post provided comment from Lundqvist, who said via email that current events and the disruptions caused by COVID-19 have been like “a movie”:
“We have not decided 100% what we will do. Things change so fast. We might head back to Sweden to lay low for awhile. It is all very strange, like from a movie. Every four or five days, there is a new approach.”
The NHL released a statement after activities were suspended saying players were permitted to return to their homes—even those outside north America—as long as flights were available. Players were also encouraged to self-quarantine through to March 27, though it’s still uncertain when the season will resume at this point.
Brooks also confirmed Ryan Strome, Brett Howden and Julien Gauthier had returned to their respective homes in Toronto, Winnipeg and Montreal (all in Canada), while Tony DeAngelo has headed back to Philadelphia.