The commissioner of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is moving ahead with plans to play a 60-game season, despite delays and obstacles brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gilles Courteau says the league has been working “hand in hand” with public health officials to get players back on the ice since play for several Quebec-based teams was suspended in mid-October due to rising case numbers across the province.
Seven of the teams are set to play each other in a 21-game series in a bubble at Videotron Centre in Quebec City from Nov. 17 through 27.
Each player and staff member will be tested before entering the controlled environment, and then tested again every three days once in the bubble.
Courteau says the cost of the event has not been finalized, but each of the seven teams will help cover the expenses and the league will absorb any extra costs through its operating budget.
Four Quebec-based teams have seen players and staff test positive for COVID-19 since the QMJHL season began at the beginning of October.