With the COVID-19 situation worsening in the eastern part of Canada, the QMJHL has decided to pause all activities between December 1, 2020 and January 3, 2021. The league released a short statement from commissioner Gilles Courteau explaining the decision:
The current situation with the pandemic in the regions in which we operate makes it extremely difficult to play games. With the holidays just around the corner, the provinces in the Maritimes have restricted access and travel, while red zone restrictions in Quebec do not permit us to play.
The junior league started their season at the beginning of October despite the WHL and OHL, the two other members of the Canadian Hockey League, pushing things back indefinitely, with continued concerns over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Working through difficult travel restrictions and a few breakouts among the member teams, the league managed to complete 111 games so far. The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, Rimouski Oceanic, and Halifax Mooseheads led the way with 16 games played each, while the Sherbrooke Phoenix were only able to complete five contests.
It may be a frustrating decision for fans of the league and the players trying to continue to develop and compete, but at this point moving forward was almost impossible given the provincial and regional restrictions. Hopefully, by the new year, the situation will have improved, though of course that is no guarantee at this point. The league will provide further updates on the new schedule down the road when the situation is more clear.
Should never of even started.. With the way the number of cases were in Quebec at the time of start of season…
Aren’t they also doing a bubble when they return to play?
So they do a bubble for the maritime teams where will that be at the highly covid filled provinces of New Brunswick or Nova Scotia.. And the Quebec teams wow will they bubble in the arctic or the north pole… Good luck with the bubble…