Is a QMJHL season pause coming?

A Dec. 28 return for Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play is certainly in question following an announcement by the Quebec government this afternoon.

With COVID-19 cases rising rapidly in the province, Quebec has reintroduced some of its tough restrictions, including the immediate closure of sports and entertainment venues to spectators.

While it appears QMJHL games could carry on in the province behind closed doors, it would be a big financial blow to teams. Simply playing those games also could become more and more difficult with the virus transmitting amongst young people so quickly. This has all brought up the question: should the league hit the pause button and wait out this wave?

Je n'ai pas de confirmation qui va en ce sens, mais je ne serais pas surpris que la LHJMQ décide de suspendre sa saison, le temps que les choses se stabilisent.

Ça m'apparaît très difficile de continuer à jouer dans le contexte actuel même si cela est possible à huis clos. https://t.co/fiLMP0PlqB

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MikLalancette) December 20, 2021

Several of the Quebec based clubs tweeted Monday that the league's owners will meet Tuesday to discuss a next move. Some, like the Sagueneens, have already released ticket refund details for upcoming games.

The QMJHL began its holiday break on Saturday and is scheduled to resume action on Dec. 28.

The six Maritimes Division clubs can - at the time of this writing anyways - play with limited building capacities. But again, it may be best to take a break and hope most of these games can be rescheduled at a later time in front of full, safer buildings.