THE National Hockey League said Wednesday night’s match between the Calgary Flames And Los Angeles Kingswhich was scheduled to be played at the crypto.com arena in the Southern California city, is postponed.
In a social media post, the NHL’s public relations department says the game is “postponed in light of the devastating effects of the wildfires in the Los Angeles area.”
The league says a makeup date will be announced as soon as it can be confirmed.
A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire as it burns a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Ethan Swope
Three major fires are ravaging the Los Angeles metropolitan area, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.
At least five people were killed and more than a thousand structures were destroyed.
The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025.
AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes
The Flames began their road trip Tuesday in Anaheim and were supposed to play the second game of a back-to-back series Wednesday night, Jan. 8, against the Kings.
Flames TV host Brendan Parker describes the situation in Los Angels as “surreal” and “very scary.”
Global News
Flames TV host Brendan Parker told Global News they could smell smoke and see it in the air when they arrived at their downtown Los Angeles hotel.
“It’s obviously a really scary situation,” Parker said. “I just think about the magnitude of the fires in the area. As we walked to the rink here in Los Angeles, you could see large chunks of ash falling in downtown Los Angeles, which helps you feel the true scale of these fires.
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Parker said the team was still preparing as if it were a normal game day when the NHL learned around 11 a.m. this morning that the game was postponed, which he called a “good decision.”
Parker said the team hopes to make arrangements to return to Calgary Wednesday evening, but travel arrangements are more complicated than usual this trip because it’s also the Flames Moms’ trip with the players’ mothers and staff on the road with them.
The Palisades Fire burns a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, January 7, 2025.
AP Photo/Ethan Swope
Challenges aside, Parker said the Flames are “just hoping for the best” for the tens of thousands of people who have been affected by the fires.
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