VGK coach Pete DeBoer

COVID and Sports, Las Vegas Edition: Raiders and Golden Knights Beset By Coronavirus Issues

By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com

COVID and sports. The Monday Dec. 27 edition.

Tonight’s Vegas Golden Knights vs Colorado Avalanche game at T-Mobile Arena was scrubbed by the National Hockey League because the NHL extended its COVID-19 no-game pause from Sunday to Monday, wiping out all the games today.

VGK head Coach Pete DeBoer & forward Brett Howden are unavailable due to COVID-19 protocol. Also, VGK defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and forward Evgenii “Who’s Your Daddy” Dadonov were placed in the COVID protocol last week.

VGK coach Pete Deboer

Welcome the return of the taxi squads for NHL teams. This was another NHL announcement. And here’s your Vegas Golden Knights taxi squad, courtesy of the neighboring Henderson Silver Knights.

Speaking of your Henderson Silver Knights, the Silver Knights game in San Diego was postponed this week. Due to American Hockey League COVID-19 protocols affecting the San Diego Gulls, the game between the Silver Knights and Gulls scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 29 at San Diego (AHL Game #421) has been postponed.

Henderson Silver Knights

ADVERTISEMENT: Click on ad for info

ADVERTISEMENT


UNLV lost a month of basketball last season because of COVID-19 and COVID has struck the Runnin’ Rebels schedule once again this season. UNLV men’s basketball game scheduled for Jan. 5 at San Jose State has been postponed as the Spartans have paused all basketball activities over the course of their first three league contests because of COVID-19 concerns within their program.

The NHL said more games are also postponed this week.

Plus these games are postponed: Wednesday, Chicago @ Winnipeg, Dallas @ Colorado, And Friday: Colorado @ Dallas.

Even NHL refs and officials have COVID, too.

The Las Vegas Raiders Monday afternoon announced these players were placed on the COVID list:  CB Casey Hayward, LB Cory Littleton, LB Patrick Onwuasor, LB Denzel Perryman, DT Darius Philon and LB K.J. Wright. There were 106 NFL players went on the Reserve/COVID-19 list today when 96 positive tests came back Monday — another record high.

On Sunday, Raiders Bryan Edwards and Marcus Mariota were placed on the COVID list.

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) gathers with players during an NFL football training camp practice Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher, Pool)

The Las Vegas Bowl is still on for Thursday at Allegiant Stadium.


 

Alan Snel

Alan Snel brings decades of sports-business reporting experience to LVSportsBiz.com. Snel covered the business side of sports for the South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Sun-Sentinel, the Tampa Tribune and Las Vegas Review-Journal. As a city hall beat reporter, Snel also covered stadium deals in Denver and Seattle. In 2000, Snel launched a sport-business website for FoxSports.com called FoxSportsBiz.com. After reporting sports-business for the RJ, Snel wrote hard-hitting stories on the Raiders stadium for the Desert Companion magazine in Las Vegas and The Nevada Independent. Snel is also one of the top bicycle advocates in the country.