Responding to the growing health crisis surrounding the spread of the deadly coronavirus, Sharks Sports & Entertainment announced Wednesday that three San Jose Sharks games this month will be played as scheduled at SAP Center but be closed to the general public.
The announcement affects games March 19 vs. the Montreal Canadiens, March 21 vs. the Boston Bruins and March 29 vs. the Arizona Coyotes.
According to the organization, admission to those games will be limited to "home and visiting club personnel, approved credentialed media and broadcast partners, essential club and arena staff, and NHL officials."
The same policy will apply for the San Jose Barracuda games on March 17 vs. the Colorado Eagles and March 22 vs. the Bakersfield Condors.
Earlier this week, Santa Clara County health officials implemented a mandatory ban on all large gatherings over 1,000 people in hopes of containing the spread of the coronavirus. As of Wednesday afternoon, there had been 45 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Santa Clara County and one death as a result of the disease.
"The safety of our fans, guests and partners is of the utmost importance," the organization announced. "Sharks Sports & Entertainment and SAP Center management greatly appreciate your understanding during this unprecedented time."
The three Sharks games will still be broadcast on television on NBC Sports California. The audio feed on will still be on the Sharks+SAP Center app, 98.5 FM KFOX and the Sharks Radio Network.
The Sharks said their ticketing department "will work with ticket holders on appropriate credits or refunds for these affected games. Single-game buyers will receive a refund through their point of purchase. We will be communicating to ticket holders, partners and other affected parties with additional information soon."
The Columbus Blue Jackets, the only other NHL team besides the Sharks whose government has planned to limit mass gatherings, announced earlier Wednesday their home game with the Pittsburgh Penguins the following night would be played as scheduled but be closed to the public.
According to ESPN, the NHL on Tuesday held a call with its 31 team presidents to address the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on the season. As of then, several options were still being discussed by the team and the league, including holding games at SAP Center with no spectators and moving games to neutral sites.
The Sharks are playing in Chicago against the Blackhawks on Wednesday night, the first game of a four-game road trip that continues until March 17 when they play the Colorado Avalanche in Denver. The Sharks also play in St. Louis on Friday and Dallas on Saturday.
Last week, Sharks games against the Minnesota Wild and Ottawa Senators had the two smallest crowds of the season. The Sharks announced that 14,517 tickets were distributed for the March 5 game with Minnesota and 14,694 tickets were distributed for Sunday's game with Colorado. Seating capacity for Sharks games at SAP Center is 17,562, and the average-sized crowd in 36 home games so this season has been 16,427.
"Going back home, not knowing what's going to happen, it's just a lot of questions," Sharks interim coach Bob Boughner told reporters in Chicago on Wednesday morning before the team's announcement. "A lot of guys are paying attention to the news more, getting their updates of what's going on back home when we're on the road."
The Sharks' announcement came hours after the Golden State Warriors, in response to the City of San Francisco banning events of more than 1,000 people, said their game with the Brooklyn Nets at Chase Center on Thursday will be played without fans.
Also Wednesday, the San Jose Earthquakes became the first major American professional sports team to outright postpone a game due to the spread of coronavirus, The Earthquakes' game with Sporting Kansas City had been scheduled for March 21. No makeup date has been announced.
The Sharks also play two home games next month, against Dallas on April 2 and Anaheim on April 4 to end the regular season. As of now, the public has not been barred from attending those games, which are still slated to go on as scheduled.
