Trudeau open to NHL playoffs in Canadian city

Justin Trudeau says he would be “comfortable” with a Canadian city hosting the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But the prime minister stopped short of whether he would be willing to lift the mandatory 14-day quarantine for travellers crossing the border.

“We have indicated that we are comfortable with moving forward on an NHL hub in one of three NHL cities that are asking for it,” Trudeau told reporters. “Canada is open to it as long as it’s OK’D by the local health authorities.”

The border remains a roadblock in the bid for Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver to act as a hub city.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who expects Phase 3 of the return-to-play plan to begin on July 10, wants players and staff to travel freely without restrictions. If that can’t happen, don’t expect Canada to be in contention as a potential host when the season resumes.

There are currently 10 cities vying to be one of two hubs where the 24-team post-season will occur. Seven of those are in the United States, with Las Vegas rumoured to be one of the favourites.

While Bettman said he’s not in a hurry to name the hub cities because things can change every day, there are obvious advantages to hosting the games in Canada. The biggest is that the Canadian dollar is so much lower than the U.S. dollar. But the decision on where to play the games is more than just about saving money.

The NHL needs government support. Trudeau provided a sliver of that on Tuesday with his comments. But if Canada is going to play host to the playoffs, it will need the prime minister to go one step further and remove all travel restrictions.

If not, the Stanley Cup won’t be crossing the border anytime soon.