A looming blizzard that the Associated Press describes as “crippling and potentially historic” could threaten game cancellations on Tuesday.
Specifically, the New York Post points to the New York Islanders hosting the New York Rangers as a game facing a particular threat from the massive proportions of snowfall:
The blizzard-level forecasts, however, have the NHL and both clubs monitoring whether a postponement might be necessary. The league waited until the afternoon of Nov. 20 before postponing the Rangers’ match the next day in snow-covered Buffalo to Feb. 20, jamming a sixth back-to-back set into a grueling second-half slate.
A potential makeup date has not been announced, but it would make the most sense simply to play the game on Wednesday. Both teams are idle with home games scheduled on Thursday night.
Perhaps the weather may also have an impact on the plans of the Philadelphia Flyers (hosting the Arizona Coyotes) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (facing the Winnipeg Jets at home)? The Penguins seem to be in good spirits about a contest taking place as of this morning:
Brrr. Good thing Penguins thrive in the cold. See you tomorrow, Jets! pic.twitter.com/DM7JMWc3iS
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 26, 2015
Here’s more about the impact beyond New York and New Jersey, according to the AP:
Boston is expected to get 18 to 24 inches of snow, with up to 2 feet or more west of the city, and Philadelphia could see up to a foot, the weather service said.
The Washington area expected only a couple of inches, with steadily increasing amounts as the storm heads north.
Also, a sheer tragedy:
Snowpocalypse in Boston just got real: the Beanpot hockey luncheon scheduled for tomorrow at @tdgarden has been cancelled
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) January 26, 2015
Either way, that Rangers - Islanders game certainly seems like it would be under the greatest threat of being canceled, even if the NHL’s been pretty resilient when it comes to avoiding weather-related schedule changes. When you hear quotes like these from the AP, you can’t help but feel like it might be the best idea in this case, though:
“This could be a storm the likes of which we have never seen before,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference in a Manhattan.
Under normal circumstances, one would not expect the NHL to make the call until tomorrow, but this does not sound like a normal storm, so we’ll see.
Hey, at least some are having fun with all of this though:
For the first time ever, if you search "Snow + New York + Disaster" it will have nothing to do with the Islanders.
— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) January 26, 2015
Not very nice.