Canadian NHL Teams Could Play Home Games in America This Season

The NHL could be headed for the United States, and only the United States.

According to a report from Chris Johnson of SportsNet.ca, the league may relocate its seven Canadian teams to America for the 2020-21 season if they aren't allowed to play in their home country. Those seven teams are the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens.

"Senior NHL executives held a conference call with the Canadian teams on Thursday afternoon and discussed the possibility of moving south of the border." Johnson reported. "It also indicated that future talks are expected with provincial health authorities and the Public Health Agency of Canada."

The NHL's first hope, per Johnson, is to form an all-Canada division. That is still a possibility, and would obviously be more ideal than having to temporarily move seven franchises.

"The Government of Canada’s priority is to protect the health and safety of Canadians," The resumption of sports events in Canada must be undertaken in adherence to Canada’s measures to mitigate the importation and spread of COVID-19," André Gagnon, a Public Health Agency of Canada spokesman, told Johnson. "NHL teams and other professional sports teams must operate within the rules of their provincial jurisdictions for sports or sporting events.”

It's unclear where Canadian teams would play home games in America if the move were necessary.