"The participation of supporters, both in the arenas themselves and in other events around the Winter Classic and All Star Weekend, is crucial to the success of our signature events," said NHL Brand Manager Steve Mayer in a statement.

The Winter Classic match was scheduled to take place between Minnesota and St. Louis at Target Field Baseball Stadium, with a capacity of up to 40,000 spectators, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 1.

The all-star weekend, with the league's best players, would have been held in Florida January 29-30.

It is still unclear when the events will be arranged instead.

The NHL still aims to start next season sometime around the turn of the year, most certainly without an audience.

CLIP: Dallas turned 0-2 in Winter Classic (January 2, 2020)

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Roope Hintz in the Dallas Stars with the puck in front of Nashville's goalkeeper Pekka Rinne.

Photo: TT.