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It could be late January before Quebec Major Junior Hockey League teams return to the ice after an extended holiday break.
QMJHL teams have been sidelined since earlier in December as the Maritime provinces restricted travel and parts of Quebec moved into the red zone.
The teams were expected to resume play on Jan. 3, but an update from league officials show that is no longer the case.
Earlier this week, the league announced it has chosen four Quebec cities to host “protected environment” events for that province’s teams starting Jan. 22.
Two teams will join each host organization — Chicoutimi, Drummondville, Rimouski and Shawinigan — to play two games in three days.
Chicoutimi, Drummondville and Rimouski will also host similar events from Jan. 29 to Feb. 6. Each arena will host one or two games per day with a total of 12 games being played.
“This announcement comes after constructive dialogue with Quebec Public Health Officials and a positive review of our first event which was held in Quebec City a few weeks ago,” Gilles Courteau, the league’s commissioner, said in a news release.
“The league’s priority is to enable our players to play hockey while pursuing their education within the safest possible environments. These types of events became the most effective way to achieve these objectives.”
Meanwhile, officials plan to reevaluate the situation in the Maritimes after the holidays and hope to resume playing a regular schedule as early as Jan. 21.
All regular-season games scheduled until then are postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date, said the league.
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