Tough news for the NHL as it looks to get everything in order for the start of the 2020-21 season. According to Frank Seravalli, he spoke with officials at Health Canada who told him the organization will not be bending rules to make things easier for the league.
"The Government of Canada's priority is to protect the health and safety of Canadians," said Health Canada. "The resumption of sports events in Canada must be undertaken in adherence to Canada's measures to mitigate the importation and spread of COVID-19."
"NHL teams and other professional sports teams must operate within the rules of their provincial jurisdictions for sports and sporting events."
COVID restrictions can vary greatly from province to province but they are, generally speaking, more stringent than those that exist in most American states. It would be a huge surprise if any arenas in Canada would have fans in attendance in mid-January or anywhere around that time. Teams that choose to participate in trades with American clubs would have their new players subjected to 14 days' quarantine before being able to play.
As we reported Thursday, the NHL's plan B is to have all seven Canadian teams begin the 2020-21 season in the United States if an agreement could not be reached with Health Canada. As it stands right now, that is looking like the most likely option unless something changes quickly.
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