The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:
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San Jose’s game against Vegas scheduled for Thursday night has been postponed after a Sharks player entered the NHL’s COVID protocol.
It’s the 36th NHL game this season to be postponed for virus-related issues and 40th counting the Texas snowstorm that affected Dallas.
The Sharks’ facilities have been closed. The team canceled practice Wednesday but said that decision and the postponement “was made out of an abundance of caution.”
The NHL had a season-low eight players on its COVID protocol list on Tuesday, five of them from Philadelphia. That’s down from a season high of 59 just 11 days ago.
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The NHL is down to a season-low eight players on the COVID-19 list after play on Tuesday night, five of them on the Philadelphia Flyers.
That’s a marked improvement in the 11 days since the league had a season-high 59 players on the list.
The Flyers have moved into third among NHL teams, with players spending a combined total of 98 days on the list, one more than Buffalo.
Only the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens remain perfect so far this season. Neither Canadian team has had a player put on the list.
The St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs each have had a player added to the COVID-19 list over the past few days, bringing the total number of players who have spent at least one day on it to 126.
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American League MVP José Abreu has tested positive for COVID-19 and will remain away from the Chicago White Sox for at least the next few days.
General manager Rick Hahn said Wednesday in a statement the Cuban slugger is “completely asymptomatic.” Hahn said testing also showed the presence of COVID antibodies and Abreu believes he had a mild case of the virus in January.
“Other than being frustrated, José feels great and, like the rest of us, is looking forward to when he rejoins the club in the not too distant future,” Hahn said.
Abreu powered the White Sox back to the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The three-time All-Star hit .317 with 19 home runs and a major league-leading 60 RBIs in the pandemic-shortened season. He joined Nellie Fox (1959), Dick Allen (1972) and Frank Thomas (1993, 1994) as the team's only MVP winners.
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The West Coast Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be held without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clark County in Nevada would have allowed a limited number of fans, but the conference decided it would be safer for athletes and staff with no one else in the arena.
The tournaments are March 4-9 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
The WCC has played its postseason basketball in Las Vegas for 13 years, selling out every time.
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