The National Hockey League was already on thin ice with 15% of its players in COVID-19 protocols on Monday, and now it’s the first North American professional sports league to fully halt its season.

On Monday night, the NHL and NHLPA announced a pause in play from Wednesday through Saturday, with all facilities closed. The night of the announcement, 10 teams were already shut down. 

The league lost nearly $3.6 billion in revenue last season due to attendance restrictions and a shortened season. While games have not been completely cancelled this season, the league still has a hike to get back on track.

Teams are still expected to return on Sunday for practice and coronavirus testing, however the Capitals-Flyers game next Monday was postponed Tuesday afternoon.

• A total of 44 games have already been postponed this season. All but five happened in the last week.
• Monday’s game and the five originally scheduled for this Thursday will add to that total.

Pending test results, Tuesday’s games are still on the schedule.

More Precautions

The league unveiled new protocols on Saturday for teams: masks in club facilities and while traveling, daily tests for players and staff, virtual team meetings, and no holiday parties. The guidelines will be reevaluated by Jan. 7.

On Sunday, the league announced it would suspend travel between the U.S. and Canada. The NHL and NHLPA reportedly also entered an agreement on Tuesday to not participate in the Beijing Olympics in February.

Rec Room, a free-to-play VR gaming platform, has raised $145 million, valuing the company at $3.5 billion. 

Led by Coatue Management, the funding round included existing investors Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, and Madrona Venture Group. 

Rec Room will use the fresh capital to build out its creator tools, expand to new platforms, and grow an audience that has reached 37 million users, up from 2 million users in March. 

Rec Room adds to a growing list of tech companies embracing VR and the metaverse. 

• In June, Meta’s virtual reality division, Oculus, acquired BigBox VR, a VC-backed startup that creates online VR games, for an undisclosed amount. 
• ForeVR Games raised $7 million during a seed round in August to bring classic real-world games to VR platforms. 
• In October, Florida-based augmented reality startup Magic Leap raised $500 million from unspecified investors, valuing the company at $2 billion. 
• Last month, Microsoft announced an integration with its office-focused Microsoft Teams software and metaverse platform Mesh. 

Promising Growth 

Rec Room has yet to disclose revenue figures, but the company said in March it has paid out $1 million to game creators on its platform. That same month, the company raised $100 million, giving it “unicorn” status as a privately held startup valued at more than $1 billion.

The National Rugby League has secured a five-year extension with longtime broadcasting partner Nine Entertainment Co. 

The deal is reportedly worth $409 million per year in revenue. According to the NRL’s official site, the overall figure for the deal is more than $2 billion — an increase from its current deal that’s worth $1.8 billion.

• The partnership will pay $82 million each year until 2027.
• There will be annual options worth $10.7 million for “contra and other non-cash services.”

Nine will continue to broadcast the State of Origin series and the Telstra Premiership NRL Grand Final, two of Australia’s most popular sporting events. It will gain rights to three matches each season and new streaming rights.

The partnership will also focus on “continuing growth of the women’s game and to develop targeted grassroots initiatives,” Nine head of sport Brent Williams said.

The NRL also has deals with Fox Sports and New Zealand’s Sky.

The Players’ Cut

Now that the league has secured at least five years of cash flow, it will have to turn its attention to its collective bargaining agreement with the Rugby League Players Association. The current CBA expires in 2022.

Officials told the Australian Associated Press they hope a deal can be reached in “record time.”