The COVID-19 pandemic has taken away a lot of things in 2020 — lives and jobs being at the top of the list.
It also altered the way we watched sports this year, forcing leagues to cancel or postpone their seasons, play in empty ballparks and arenas, and in some cases, in bubbles.
Now there is word the pandemic could force the National Hockey League to abandon its extremely popular idea of an all-Canadian division for the 2020-21 season.
Hockey fans north of the border have been salivating at the thought of the 2021 version of Canada’s Group of Seven for the better part of this very different off-season.
But alas, the plan to group together Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver in a Canadian-only division is in serious jeopardy.
The NHL is currently in discussions with provincial health authorities in Ontario, Quebec, B.C., Alberta and Manitoba regarding the upcoming season and how it would play out.
With coronavirus cases on the rise across the country, government officials are hoping the league will implement the bubble format that it used during its summer restart, but the NHL wants each team to be allowed to play in its home rink during a proposed 56-game season.
If both sides fail to reach an agreement, any thought of a Canadian division will be dead in the water and would force Canada’s clubs to call the United States home for the next several months.
The Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Raptors and all three Canadian MLS teams were forced to do the same in 2020, and the Raptors are in the same boat for the upcoming NBA season.
Where in the U.S. will teams like the Maple Leafs and Canadiens be forced to play is anyone’s guess at this point, but anywhere but Canada is a horrible option for hockey fans in the Great White North.
Rick Zamperin is the assistant program, news and senior sports director at Global News Radio 900 CHML.
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