Canucks could move training camp out of Vancouver to U.S. over quarantine concerns
The Vancouver Canucks hockey team is considering moving its three-week training camp to the United States as managers lose confidence that a Canadian city will be selected as an NHL playoff hub.
Vancouver is on the short list for the league's return-to-play plan which includes two hub cities that would each host twelve teams as part of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Edmonton and Toronto are also being considered.
League leaders say they will only select a Canadian city if quarantine measures for players can be relaxed. However, B.C. has vowed it won't bend the rules, even for the NHL — a move that could ultimately rule out Vancouver as a potential hub.
On Wednesday, Canucks general manager Jim Benning said the team is considering moving its training camp to the U.S. if the league ultimately settles on two American sites.
"It's something we're thinking about, but also we just want to give it a few more days to see if something is going to change," said Benning. "In a perfect scenario we'd like to use our facilities."
Binning said teams will know where the two major hubs are three weeks before formal training camps begin, which will give them enough notice to make arrangements.
"We're going to have time to figure all that out, we're still in the early stages of talking about moving it offsite," he said. "I want to see what happens here through the weekend ... things change by the hour, by the day," he said.
Benning said NHL officials are in regular contact with the Prime Minister's Office to see if quarantine measures can be rescinded for players.
Door remains open
B.C. Premier John Horgan said the quarantine rules are federally mandated. With the NHL games not expected to begin until the middle of summer, Horgan said there's a chance current restrictions could be eased by puck drop.
"In COVID years, that's a thousand years from now," said Horgan, noting that he's yet to see a return-to-play plan from the league.
"We have rules in place today that we worked very hard to establish, and because the NHL made an announcement that involved Vancouver, we're not going to be rushing to change that. Two weeks from now, four weeks from now could be a very different situation provided we continue to see the progress we've seen here in B.C."
The Canucks are expected to face the Minnesota Wild in a playoff-qualifying best-of-five series. If they win, the team would advance to the first round of a 16-team Stanley Cup playoff.
