Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said in his Tuesday press briefing that the Canadian government is open to the idea of having an NHL hub city.
Three Canadian cities -- Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver -- are on the NHL's shortlist of potential hub cities to finish the remainder of the 2019-20 season.
"We have indicated that we are comfortable with moving forward on an NHL hub in one of the three Canadian cities that are asking for it," Trudeau said. "Obviously the decision has to be made by the NHL and the cities and the provinces in the jurisdiction, but Canada is open to it as long as it is OK'd by the local health authorities."
Trudeau's statement likely means that the government would loosen the restrictions on the required 14-day quarantine period for anyone re-entering Canada, which would otherwise present a problem for the three Canadian cities vying to be a hub city. Bettman told ESPN on Monday that the league is working with the Canadian government to potentially loosen the restrictions.
“We are working particularly with the Canadian government about determining how we can deal with moving from the training camp phase to a possible hub in Canada,” Bettman said. “Because obviously if the players would have to quarantine for 14 days in between training camp and going to the hub, that wouldn’t work.”
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