Another city was taken off the short list for consideration to become one of two hub cities for the National Hockey League’s return-to-play plan.
The Canucks confirmed on Thursday that Vancouver was out of the running via Twitter.
“From the beggining, our goal was to help the NHL get hockey back on the ice if we could. Although Vancouver won’t be a Hub City, we are still excited to see hockey start up again,” the statement read.
#Canucks statement on @NHL hub city bid. pic.twitter.com/qs6v4EOO7w
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) June 25, 2020
It appears as though the bid hit a snag due to health and safety protocols in British Columbia.
“I’m disappointed the NHL playoffs won’t be coming to Vancouver, but we will not bend the rules on public health guidelines and risk the progress we’ve made,” John Horgan, the province’s premier said. “Protecting the health and safety of people in BC is our number one priority.”
With Vancouver out, that reportedly leaves Toronto and Edmonton the only two remaining Canadian cities, along with Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Chicago.