MONTREAL -- The Montreal Canadiens announced on Sunday the implementation of extraordinary measures for the 1,200 event employees of the Canadiens and the Laval Rocket in order to mitigate the impact of the NHL and AHL break.
For employees who are not eligible for employment insurance, the organization will pay 75 per cent of the salary that employees would have received for the remaining regular season Habs and Rocket games -- four for the Canadiens and eight for the Rocket.
For employees eligible for employment insurance, the organization will increase employment insurance benefits by 40 per cent so that employees receive 95 per cent - the maximum authorized by Services Canada to be eligible for all Employment Insurance benefits.
"Our industry is going through a difficult time and our employees are badly affected by recent events," said owner Geoff Molson. "The Canadiens Hockey Club and the Rocket organization wanted to deploy the necessary means to help alleviate the impact of this very special situation on our employees, whom I would also like to sincerely thank for their understanding and collaboration.”
Several other teams have announced similar measures in recent days.
The NHL announced on Thursday that it will suspend its season indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Hockey League quickly followed suit.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Mar. 15, 2020.
