Golden Knights close locker room to media amid coronavirus fears

CALGARY, Alberta — The Golden Knights were one of the NHL teams to close their locker room to the media Saturday out of concerns surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.

The Knights held media availability at a designated area outside the locker room following Saturday’s practice at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Other organizations, including the San Jose Sharks, announced they also were restricting locker room access. It is unclear whether the Knights will maintain the policy for the remaining four games of their road trip and beyond.

The Knights did not release a statement clarifying their policy and referred all questions to the league office.

Several reports Saturday indicated the league mandated that teams close their locker room to media on a recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though an NHL spokesperson indicated that was incorrect.

“We have not mandated a change with our clubs to this point on access to locker rooms,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to the Review-Journal. “We are discussing with other sports leagues (in consultation with infectious disease and public health experts) best ways to protect the health of everyone in our buildings, including those typically in our locker rooms.”

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.