By Evan Bleier Unlike the NFL, NBA and English Premier League, the NHL is going to put its season on pause starting on Wednesday, two days ahead of its planned holiday break, due to a large uptick in positive COVID-19 cases. Now set to be on ice through December 27 with 11 of its teams already on hold due to COVID-19 outbreaks, the NHL has just three games left to play before the league temporarily ceases operations. Including games affected by the pause, the league has postponed 49 games in all. As of Monday night, more than 15% of the league’s players were in virus protocols even though ther…