Hockey may be making a return to the province of British Columbia sooner than later, according to Premier John Horgan.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Horgan announced that the Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has approved Vancouver as a hub city for the recently reinstated NHL; now it’s up to the major hockey league to make their choice.
The Premier says he has written to the Prime Minister stating that Vancouver and the B.C. overall would welcome the National Hockey League, if chosen as a hub city.
Horgan went on to confirm that teams would be required to travel as a ‘bubble’, would share only one hotel, and limit their interactions with the public.
He also added that this amendment will not change the 14-day quarantine requirements currently in place.
In response to a Victoria Buzz question on the subject, the Premier stated that Vancouver will be the only option in the province for a hub city, and that there will only be one city selected for each conference, Eastern and Western.
There are currently 10 cities under consideration to be one of the NHL’s two Return to Play hub cities, with Vancouver being up against Edmonton, Las Vegas and Los Angeles in the western conference.
As recently as May 26, Dr. Bonnie Henry stated that the province would not “bend the rules” for NHL players, stating she had yet to see a plan and wouldn’t want anybody put at risk, or “undo the good work that we’ve done here so far in BC”.
Now that B.C.’s top doctor has given the go ahead and the Premier has sent off the letter of recommendation to Prime Minister Trudeau, all hockey fans can do is wait and see if Vancouver is one of the lucky cities chosen.
Don’t hang up that jersey just yet!
