Canadian government working to allow NHL to use Toronto, Edmonton or Vancouver as hub city for season restart

Watch Now: Bettman Says League Still In Discussion Over Canada 14-Day Quarantine (1:04)

Canada has made space to allow one of three cities to potentially become a hub city for the NHL when its 2020 season starts back up again later this year. The country’s federal government approved an order that would allow either Vancouver, Edmonton or Toronto to serve as one of the NHL’s two bases as the 24-team Stanley Cup Playoffs progress through the coronavirus pandemic.

In order for this to become official, the Canadian governor general would need to sign it. Information about this decision was reportedly given under the condition of anonymity because the official who leaked the information was not authorized to speak on it.

Still, it would appear that something like this is a rather poorly-kept secret, especially considering immigration minister Marco Mendicino, issued a letter saying it’s in the national interest to have a Canadian hub for the NHL. The Public Health Agency of Canada and the public health authorities in Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver have also all given their approval of the NHL’s plan to keep players separate from the general public — the set-up would be known as a “cohort quarantine.”

Those three Canadian cities now join Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Minneapolis/St. Paul in the running for a spot as a league hub city. Training camps for the 24 remaining teams in contention for the Stanley Cup are slated to begin on July 10, with the goal of resuming play later in the summer.