All Hockey Canada-sanctioned activities, including national championships, have been canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the organization announced Thursday.

The championships affected include the Telus Cup, Esso Cup, Centennial Cup, and other minor-league events throughout Canada.

"Without question, this is an unprecedented period of difficulty for the sports world," Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney said. "The health and safety of all participants in sport, including players, coaches, staff, officials, fans, family, volunteers, and the general public, is of the utmost importance to Hockey Canada."

The decision comes after the NHL, AHL, and CHL opted Thursday to postpone their seasons amid rising virus concerns.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Calgary Flames alternate governor and former CEO Ken King died at the age of 68, the team announced Thursday.

King, who previously served as president and CEO of Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation, lost a lengthy battle with cancer, according to Sportsnet's Eric Francis.

"Ken was the right leader at the right time for CSEC," said CSEC chairman and co-owner Murray Edwards. "His leadership and passion was exhibited every day in his successful delivery of the new Calgary event centre. He was a trusted confidant to all of the Flames owners, both past and present, and we all learned so much from him. My partners and I will miss our frequent conversations with our dear friend."

King joined the Flames as president and CEO in the spring of 2001 and played a large role in growing the sports company, which also owns the WHL's Calgary Hitmen, AHL's Stockton Heat, and NLL's Calgary Roughnecks, and holds a controlling interest in the CFL's Calgary Stampeders.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The latest news as the coronavirus pandemic disrupts the sports world. Pull down the page to refresh. (All times ET.)

For more details on European soccer-related coronavirus updates, tap here.

What you need to know
(Last update: 4:40 p.m.)

• The NCAA announced the cancellation of its Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments on Thursday afternoon, in addition to remaining winter and spring championships, including the Frozen Four and College World Series.
• Major League Baseball suspended all operations Thursday, which will delay the start of the regular season by at least two weeks.
• The NHL suspended its season Thursday afternoon. The league hopes to resume play at some point in the spring.
• The NBA suspended its season indefinitely in an unprecedented move Wednesday night. The decision came after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. Jazz star Donovan Mitchell then reportedly tested positive for the disease on Thursday morning.
• Gobert apologized in an Instagram post late Thursday afternoon: "The first and most important thing is I would like to publicly apologize to the people that I may have endangered. At the time, I had no idea I was even infected."

March 12

Minor leagues follow suit

The American Hockey League and Canadian Hockey League suspended their seasons, while Minor League Baseball announced it's delaying the start of its season.

April UFC event expected to be moved

UFC Fight Night scheduled for April 11 in Portland is expected to be held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas due to precautionary reasons.

NFL cancels owners meeting

The league announced in a statement that its annual owners meetings scheduled for later this month in Florida have been canceled. It remains possible that the April 23-25 draft will be altered as well.

Boston Marathon postponed

The annual race won't be run in April as planned and could reportedly be rescheduled for the fall.

UFC Brasilia behind closed doors

Saturday's Fight Night 170 event in Brazil will reportedly take place without fans in attendance.

Combat sports halted in California

The California State Athletic Commission reportedly suspended all combat sports events through March.

Champions League fixtures postponed

Champions League Round of 16 second-leg fixtures featuring Manchester City versus Real Madrid and Juventus versus Lyon have been postponed.

NCAA conference tournaments canceled

All NCAA conferences canceled their championship basketball tournaments Thursday morning, albeit in delayed fashion; the Big East pulled the plug at halftime between St. John's and Creighton.

NFL teams discussing shutdowns

Numerous NFL teams are reportedly discussing shutting down training facilities, but the start of the new league year will not be pushed back at this time.

MLS suspended

Major League Soccer officially halted play for 30 days due to the coronavirus.

PGA Tour banning fans

The PGA Tour indefinitely barred fans from events beginning with Round 2 of The Players Championship on Friday.

ATP suspends play

The ATP suspended all professional men's tennis tournaments for six weeks.

Raptors in self-quarantine

The Toronto Raptors announced that players, coaches, and traveling staff will self-isolate for 14 days. The club played the Jazz in Utah on Monday.

IOC releases statement

The Olympic flame was lit Thursday in Greece and the IOC followed up with a statement about Tokyo 2020:

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirms its full commitment to the success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. We remain absolutely in line with our Japanese hosts in our commitment to delivering safe Olympic Games in July this year.

Hoiberg was cleared to coach

Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg tweeted that doctors cleared him to coach Wednesday night. He was forced to leave the game and taken to hospital, where he was diagnosed with a cold.

FIBA, Euroleague suspended

The International Basketball Federation suspended play in all competitions, and the Euroleague suspended its season beginning Friday. Olympic qualifiers in June are up in the air.

No autographs at The Players

The Players Championship is underway in Florida, but the PGA Tour announced Thursday morning that golfers won't be signing autographs or interacting with fans as they normally would at a tournament.

McLaren out of Aussie GP

McLaren Racing announced its withdrawal from the Australian Grand Prix after a team member tested positive for the coronavirus.

La Liga suspended

Real Madrid players are in quarantine and La Liga announced a suspension of play for at least the next two matchdays.

March 11

NHL mulling options

The NHL is evaluating its options after the NBA's shocking suspension announcement Wednesday. The league is consulting with medical experts and is scheduled to provide a further update Thursday.

Restricted access at college tourneys

Major college conferences announced that championship basketball tournaments scheduled for the rest of the week will take place with limited fan access.

NFL examining draft plans

The 2020 NFL Draft is currently scheduled for late April in Las Vegas. The NFL, NFLPA, and city and state officials are working together to determine whether one of the league's marquee events can go ahead as planned.

MLB, A's working on solution

The Oakland A's are working with MLB to come up with alternative plans for the club's season-opening seven-game homestand beginning March 26. Oakland and Alameda County have instituted a ban on large gatherings.

Spring college football games being axed

Ohio State and Michigan canceled their spring games scheduled for April 11 and 18, respectively. The Wolverines also announced that coaches won't be allowed to host prospects or go on recruiting trips until April 21.

Sharks to play behind closed doors

The NHL's San Jose Sharks announced they'll play in an empty SAP Center through the remainder of March due to a ban on large gatherings in Santa Clara County, California.

Ohio to ban mass gatherings

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday the state will order a ban on mass gatherings. That will affect numerous sporting events, including the NCAA Tournament (games are scheduled in Cleveland and Dayton), the NBA's Cavaliers, and the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets.

Seattle teams forced to alter plans

The Mariners are working to relocate two home series due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Seattle, where a ban was ordered on crowds of more than 250 people. The club's spring-training home in Peoria, Arizona, is reportedly being considered as an option.

The XFL's Seattle Dragons will host the Los Angeles Wildcats on Sunday without fans in attendance at CenturyLink Field.

Teams altering scouting plans

The NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens grounded their North American scouts as the virus continues to proliferate.

NFL teams are also changing their pre-draft travel plans. Scouts from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles will reportedly sit out the pro-day circuit.

European hockey seasons shelved

Professional hockey leagues in Germany (DEL) and Austria (EBEL) canceled the remainder of their seasons due to the outbreak in Europe.

Figure Skating worlds called off

The World Figure Skating Championships scheduled to take place in Montreal next week have been canceled.

Fed Cup finals postponed

The Fed Cup finals scheduled April 14-19 in Budapest, Hungary, have been postponed indefinitely. No makeup date has been announced.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL has paused the 2019-20 campaign due to the coronavirus pandemic but is hopeful to complete the season at some point, it announced Thursday.

"Our goal is to resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent, so that we will be able to complete the season and award the Stanley Cup," commissioner Gary Bettman said in the statement.

The league's announcement comes in the wake of the NBA's decision Wednesday night to suspend its season. MLB and MLS have also suspended operations since then.

Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell of the NBA's Utah Jazz have been diagnosed with the virus. Nobody in the NHL community has yet been diagnosed, but the league isn't taking any chances.

"Following last night's news that an NBA player has tested positive for coronavirus - and given that our leagues share so many facilities and locker rooms and it now seems likely that some member of the NHL community would test positive at some point - it is no longer appropriate to try to continue to play games at this time," Bettman said.

The suspension means there will be no travel, no meetings, and no practices, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

Both the AHL and CHL announced Thursday they will also postpone their seasons.

Additionally, the 2020 World Hockey Championship in Switzerland is likely to be canceled, IIHF president Rene Fasel told McKenzie. An official decision will reportedly be made Tuesday, though.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly interview-style podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's national hockey writer.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Spotify.

David Carle, head coach of the University of Denver men's hockey team, joins this week's show to discuss a variety of topics, including:

• How the Denver Pioneers men's team is handling the coronavirus threat
• Having his playing career cut short at 18 due to a heart condition
• Getting the coaching itch, finding a way to climb the ladder quickly
• Latest on mentor and ex-Dallas Stars coach Jim Montgomery
• Denver stars Bobby Brink (Flyers), Ian Mitchell (Blackhawks)

... and more!

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.