National Hockey League's choice of Canada's hub city subject to approval by local health authorities: Justin Trudeau
Ottawa/IBNS: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said in his daily news conference in Ottawa that his government is open to the suggestion of the National Hockey League (NHL) operating a hub city in Canada but the same is subjected to the approval by local health authorities, media reports said.
"Three Canadian cities are asking for it," Trudeau said. "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."
Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver are the three potential city hubs.
The NHL is planning to resume the competition featuring 24 teams operating out of two hubs. The league has narrowed down its potential sites to 10 cities, including Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver.
However, the league has said it will not operate out of a Canadian city if players are subject to the mandatory 14-day quarantine currently in effect at the national border.
Trudeau said that the US-Canada border closure is extended for non-essential travel to at least July 21.
But this restriction has not applied to the NHL players as they have returned to their teams recently for voluntary workouts in Phase 2 of the restart plan.
This implies that players can use team facilities to train in small groups.
NHL hopes to progress to Phase 3, the opening of training camps, on July 10, with a return to competition later in the summer.
While the NHL tries to narrow down the list of hub cities from ten to two, namely Vancouver and Toronto, CBC Sports' Rob Pizzo is considering the problems NHL may face regarding this.
These problems include that the NHL players cannot choose a city where the number of COVID-19 infected people is high. The other problem is that if one of the players is tested positive at any time, he would have to be isolated while the others would remain under strict monitoring procedures. Another factor is the 14-day mandatory quarantine procedure that the players would have to follow upon entering the country.
Discussions between the provincial and city health authorities are still ongoing, Trudeau said, and the decision has not yet been made because the safety of the players and the staff have to be kept in mind.
(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
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