Ducks Owners to Pay Part-Time Employees Through June 30 Amid Coronavirus

Part-time employees of Anaheim Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli's sports and event management companies will continue to be paid through June 30 "for current or future rescheduled, postponed or canceled events," the Ducks announced on Thursday. 

Anaheim Arena Management President and CEO Tim Ryan provided a statement:

"The Samueli family's primary concern is the welfare of their employees. Today is another example of their kindness, generosity and support for the local community. As a result of their decision, 2,100 dedicated part-time staff members will have one less immediate concern during this significant health crisis. We join them in wishing everybody good health during this unprecedented time."

The NHL suspended its 2019-20 season on March 12 as a protective measure against the COVID-19 pandemic.

ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported on March 24 league office employees have temporarily had their pay cut by 25 percent in an effort to prevent layoffs.

Elsewhere, Dallas Stars President Jim Lites and General Manager Jim Nill took a voluntary 50-percent cut in salary on March 25. Nill spoke about the decision with ESPN's Greg Wyshynski:

"As soon as this virus hit and we started to see where things were going, we knew it was going to hit [owner Tom Gaglardi] hard, as he's in the hotel/restaurant business. And that it was going to hit all of us. We just thought this was the right thing for our organization to do. 

"We're just looking to help somebody else. Jim and I are very fortunate. The game's been great to us. But within our organization, we have a lot of younger people working who live paycheck to paycheck. We hope this is something that can help them down the road."

The Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes announced pay cuts for full-time employees on March 25:

Commissioner Gary Bettman discussed the unprecedented situation on the March 19 episode of ESPN's Get Up:

The NHL postponed the 2020 draft, scouting combine and awards ceremony.