The League went through some ad-hoc changes to adapt to the pandemic. These included reductions or elimination of fans from the stadiums, and a reduction in the number of games played. The NHL postponed its 2019/20 season in March of 2020, and came back in the summer to play out the Stanley Cup Playoffs in “bubbles” set up in Toronto and Edmonton. Perhaps the biggest effect of the pandemic on the NHL was how they rearranged their divisions in 2020/21. In order to limit international travel, they created the North Division, and put all Canadian teams in that division. The season was condensed to 56 games plus playoffs and, like the prior year, the Tampa Bay Lightning took home the big prize – albeit in front of a crowd this time. The league by and large returned to normalcy in 2021/22, thanks to an above 99% vaccination rate amongst its players and staff, and a loosening of regional restrictions. The regular divisions are back, the season is 82 games, and the playoffs are as they were pre-pandemic. A slight pause was put into pace around Christmas time as the Omicron variant took North America by storm, but thanks to a spread out schedule set up for contingencies, the NHL avoided significant derailing via rescheduling.