Playall games4/2/2023 ![]() It would also follow a precedent set by other pro sports leagues. It also indicated that future talks are expected with provincial health authorities and the Public Health Agency of Canada.Ī 31-team league based entirely in the States would essentially kill the Canadian Division before it ever officially got life and it would require a different realignment plan than the one the NHL and NHLPA have been formulating this month. Senior NHL executives held a conference call with the Canadian teams on Thursday afternoon and discussed the possibility of moving south of the border. Should that fail to happen, the NHL is willing to have the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens play games out of the U.S., if necessary - although it’s not clear exactly where each would be relocated. The government prefers the bubble setup the NHL used for its summer return-to-play in Edmonton and Toronto, according to sources, but the league doesn’t believe it’s feasible to recreate that for an entire season.Īt a time when COVID-19 cases are rising across the country the provincial health authorities need to be comfortable with the NHL’s protocols, which are still being formulated and finalized with the NHL Players’ Association. However, that plan requires approval from health authorities in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia and it’s believed to have met some opposition. Play would be entirely within the realigned division, travel would be exclusively domestic and national border issues wouldn’t come into play. The NHL would prefer to have each of its seven Canadian teams based out of its own city and arena for a 56-game regular season. While there’s nothing concrete to indicate that the necessary government bodies won’t eventually sign off on the NHL’s plans, that had yet to happen as of Thursday night. Sources say that’s the likely outcome if agreements can’t be reached to make the Canadian Division a reality for 2020-21. ![]() ![]() The possibility of playing entirely in the United States. As the NHL continues to work through discussions with five different provincial health authorities about its plans to stage the upcoming season, a fallback option looms in the background.
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