MONTREAL -- Quebec Premier François Legault would welcome the resumption of the National Hockey League's activities in mid-January, he said on Wednesday.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also publicly mentioned a return with a shortened schedule in mid-January and a Canadian section on the NHL.com site on Wednesday.
Legault said he discussed the project with the owner and president of the Montreal Canadiens, Geoff Molson.
He believes that by virtue of its financial means, the NHL can put in place "measures that protect players" and recalled that unlike garage leagues, it is capable of "creating bubbles."
La Presse reported last week that negotiations have been ongoing for several weeks with public health authorities so the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard can constitute an extension of the players' bubbles, in addition to their homes and the Bell Centre.
Legault also believes that visiting teams from the rest of the country could form a bubble when they arrive in Montreal by settling in hotels near the Bell Centre.
Nothing has been decided, however: the NHL and the Players' Association have not agreed on the financial parameters of a shortened season.
Time is also running out if the league wants to resume operations in mid-January, as players should soon report to their respective teams to start a training camp.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 16, 2020.
