This afternoon, the AHL released an update on the status of their season and players via their official communications account on Twitter, and it certainly seems like we’re going to be hockeyless for a while.

Not that having the AHL say all bets are off until at least May is unexpected news at all, but the idea of a cancelled season seems to get more and more real as we move along here. With both the AHL and NHL advising that their players be able to return home, it’s really starting to hit home that we may be without hockey for the foreseeable future. I mean, I think we all kinda thought this might happen but it had been nice having a glimmer of hope that we wouldn’t have to entirely go without. Obviously, sending players back to wherever it is that they come from is a big development since it was only yesterday that NHLers were being asked to self-quarantine in their NHL cities, but both leagues have since decided that guys should be able to go home.

Earlier today, the NHL stated that the league will be shut down for at least 60 days while trying to navigate the ever-evolving COVID-19 pandemic, but even that seems like a lofty goal at this point as we really don’t have any indications that the spread of the virus is even close to slowing down. Either way, both the NHL and AHL are taking steps towards hopefully being able to play hockey again this year, though, it’s hard to plan that far out considering things can change significantly by the hour.