The league announced Tuesday the division's schedule until March 14, which will only feature games between the Halifax Mooseheads, Cape Breton Eagles and Charlottetown Islanders. The three teams have been playing against each other since Jan. 29 and have even invited fans back into buildings in recent weeks.
A QMJHL news release said that "the league has continued its dialogue with government and public health officials hoping that the three teams based in New Brunswick will return to their regular activities as soon as possible.
"The following schedule is subject to change depending on New Brunswick’s evolving situation as some games can be postponed and/or added to the schedule should they obtain public health approval."
The three New Brunswick teams have not played since mid-November and have only been allowed to practice since returning from the league's holiday break. COVID-19 numbers continue to drop across the province and there are very few cases in the Saint John, Moncton and Bathurst regions. Despite the decline, it certainly seems like the provincial government will be keeping current guidelines in place until after March break.
Fewer than 10 active cases outside of zone 4 pic.twitter.com/1pJFM3vkGO
— Ray (@RayDoesData) February 23, 2021
At a news conference on Tuesday, PEI's Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Heather Morrison, said she doesn't expect the Atlantic Bubble to reopen for another six to eight weeks. Not great!
So if the Sea Dogs were to resume playing in mid-March, how many games could they get in? The original league schedule that was released in September had an April 3 end date but you have to wonder if that may get extended with the WHL starting up and potentially the OHL. The chances of there being a Memorial Cup tournament are definitely looking (very) slim - but there's a (small) chance, so perhaps the three leagues will look at aligning their end dates as best they can.
The Western Hockey League's five Alberta teams will begin play this Friday. The Manitoba and Saskatchewan teams will begin on March 12 and the US teams on March 19. The league is still waiting on approval for its five BC clubs to play.
The Ontario Hockey League has, officially at least, said very little over the past couple months.
The QMJHL's fifth round of protected environment events will begin on Saturday. The league announced Tuesday that its sixth events, scheduled for March 19-25, will take place in Sherbrooke, Drummondville, Val-d'Or and Victoriaville.
In the Maritime Hockey League, all games for the New Brunswick clubs have been postponed until at least Feb. 28. The league's Nova Scotia teams and Summerside are all currently playing.
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