Ottawa-A travel waiver is underway that will allow the winners of the NHL All-Canada Division and their American counterparts to cross the border in the third and final rounds of the playoffs.

Two sources in the federal government said that this exemption will allow teams still in the Stanley Cup competition to enter Canada to participate in the competition without having to isolate for 14 days, which is currently required for all non-essential travelers to enter Canada.

The sources were anonymous because they did not have the right to speak publicly. They said that the NHL has been working hard to obtain approval from provincial and municipal public health authorities that still have teams in the playoffs.

After collecting these signatures, the request will be submitted to the Federal Minister of Immigration Marco Mendicino for final approval.

A spokesperson for the league said that the NHL is still waiting for a response from the government.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in an email to the Canadian News Agency: “This work is in progress.”

The source emphasized that public health and safety will be the top priority before any approval.

On Monday night, the winner of the series deciding game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs will play against the Winnipeg Jets in the Northern Division Finals.

The winner of the series will face one of the three US division winners in the league semifinals. The two semi-final winners will participate in the Stanley Cup.

This will mark the first regular cross-border travel in the NHL during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last summer, the NHL ended its season at the hubs of Toronto and Edmonton, and all American teams crossed the border once before departure.

Before the transaction deadline in April this year, NHL personnel were given a special allocation and could only undergo quarantine for a period of 7 days.

The federal government has also exempted the mandatory 14-day quarantine period. NHL athletes and team members will return to Canada in December to participate in the “reasons of national interest” training camp.

The league divides all seven Canadian teams into one division, and they compete against each other to avoid cross-border travel this season.

In a seven-game winning streak series, one team usually hosts games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while the other team hosts games 3, 4, and 6.

The NHL has stated that if it cannot obtain government approval, it is considering moving the Canadian division winners to the United States for the final two rounds.

Other Canadian professional sports teams had to move to the United States to avoid cross-border travel.

The Toronto Blue Jays of the Major League Baseball team started their home games in Dunedin, Florida, and will start playing their home games in Buffalo, New York on Tuesday.

Major League Soccer’s Toronto Football Club, Montreal Football Club and Vancouver Whitecaps have moved to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Sandy, Utah, respectively.

The Major League Rugby’s Toronto Arrows are now based in Marietta, Georgia, while the NBA’s Toronto Raptors (Toronto Raptors) recently played in Tampa, Florida. ) Ended their season.

Canadian professional teams in many leagues other than the NHL have a larger majority of competitors in the United States, even if they are not completely supplemented. If they want to play in Canada, they must travel across borders.

In the NHL, the U.S. team was allowed to be crowded throughout the playoffs. Habs became the first Canadian team to host a crowd on Saturday, when 2500 fans watched them defeat the Leafs in overtime.

This crowd is significantly less than the crowd allowed in most venues in the United States.

The Canadian News Agency report was first published on May 30, 2021.

Taken from Joshua Clipperton’s document.