As of Tuesday, Montreal Canadiens players are finally able to skate at Bell Sports Complex in Brossard again. The Montreal Gazette wrote that the Canadiens, despite the NHL initiating its second Phase on June 8, up until now was unable to skate at the team practice facilities. According to the official, it was due to ongoing renovations, but two sources told the Gazette that it was in fact due to the ice staff in Brossard being laid off because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
WE'VE GOT HABS IN BROSSARD❗ pic.twitter.com/NIrLsRfulW— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) June 16, 2020
The practice was voluntary, and included Jonathan Drouin and Paul Byron, as well as Laurent Dauphin, Charles Hudon and goaltender Michael McNiven. It was the first time players took the ice at the Bell Sports Complex since the season was put on hold on March 12th.
There are only a handful of players currently in the Montreal area, something that could become a problem if Canadian teams have to enforce a 14-day quarantine. However, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has indicated that the NHL could get an exception from that rule. If so, it will likely not be long until we see a full Canadiens team practicing together again.
