Two QMJHL teams, the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and their most recent opponent, the Sherbrooke Phoenix, have suspended in-person team activities due to a player on the Armada testing positive for COVID-19, the league announced Monday.
The current condition of the Armada player who received a positive test was not disclosed by the league at this time.
The activities of both the Armada and Phoenix, who played each other twice last weekend, will be paused until an investigation by public health officials exploring all contacts between players and staff has been completed.
In the interim, the league issued a memo to Armada executives, instructing players and staff to isolate and to undergo testing.
The Armada’s ability to play or practise this month was in jeopardy prior to the team’s positive test, as new rules announced by the Quebec government on Monday barred team sports in COVID-19 “red zones” — areas of the province with surging case numbers, including the greater Montreal area and Quebec city.
The new ruling affects the Quebec Remparts and the Armada, which are based in suburban Montreal.
The government’s ruling could affect five home games and three away games for Quebec and four home games and four away games for Blainville-Boisbriand this month.
The 2020-21 QMJHL season started last week. Its next games are scheduled for Friday night.
The QMJHL is the only one of three Canadian major-junior hockey leagues to start play this season. The Ontario Hockey League and Western Hockey League are hoping to begin in December.
— With files from the Canadian Press.