Two cities will ultimately be chosen to hold NHL finals, and one could be in Canada
The National Hockey League (NHL) is almost ready to resume the season and it might be happening in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday that the federal government is “open” to welcoming the NHL to choose a hub city in Canada, as long as it is approved by local health authorities. Despite his support to the league, Trudeau added that the league needs to file the permission through the provincial and municipal governments where the league wishes to operate.
“Three Canadian cities are asking for it,” Trudeau said at his daily briefing. “Obviously, the decision has to be made by the NHL and the cities and the provinces. Canada is open to it as long as it is OK’d by the local health authorities.”
Currently, the NHL is looking into returning to hockey action featuring 24 teams distributed in two different hubs. There are at least ten different cities being considered, including Toronto Edmonton and Vancouver. However, the league did say that, if its players are subject to the 14-day quarantine period that’s currently in effect in Canada, there will be no action in the country. Canada extended its border closures for nonessential travel until July 21, but players have been back and forth to training camps in spite of that restriction.
The NHL is in the second phase of its return-to-action plan, which means that players can use their own training facilities to train in small groups. The next phase, which is the opening of training camps, is being planned for July 10, meaning that the competitions would return later in the summer.
