All Canadian NHL teams could play season in the U.S.

The NHL is considering having all seven Canadian teams play the upcoming season in the United States, according to multiple media reports.

The NHL was reportedly planning to realign its divisions for the 2020-21 campaign with a seven-team, all-Canadian division that would play domestically in Canada with no cross-border travel. However, reports Thursday night suggest that every Canadian team may have to head south instead to adhere to provincial guidelines around COVID-19.

“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,” the Public Health Agency of Canada said in a statement Thursday night following original reports from Sportsnet and TSN.

“NHL teams and other professional sports teams must operate within the rules of their provincial jurisdictions for sports or sporting events.

“Specific questions related to the NHL’s plans should be directed to the NHL”

The league would need approval from health authorities in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia for a Canadian division to work, and it’s reportedly believed to have hit a roadblock.

Sportsnet reported that senior NHL executives held a conference call with the Canadian teams on Thursday afternoon and discussed the possibility of moving south of the border.

Ontario’s minister of sport, Lisa MacLeod, said earlier Thursday the provincial government is examining how a Canadian division in the NHL might work.