The Canadian will be able to reconnect with the Bell Center on Thursday evening… but in the eyes of management, the account will be very far from good.
Posted at 4:52 p.m.
Thus, to meet the standards established by Public Health, the Canadian will be able to play in front of only 500 people, starting February 7. Club management wanted to be able to sell 10,000 tickets as of Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks.
“It is certain that we are disappointed, because we would have liked to be able to welcome a greater number of supporters, answered France Margaret Bélanger, president Sports and entertainment of the CH group, during a telephone interview with The Press Wednesday. For us, this figure of 500 spectators is difficult to understand. »
According to the management of the Canadian, it would have been perfectly possible to be able to sell half of the seats of the Bell Center in a safe environment. In this regard, France Margaret Bélanger affirms that no outbreak of COVID-19 was observed at the Bell Center while the arena was operating at maximum capacity during the fall.
“We have a space of 2 million square feet, it would be possible for us to prepare a configuration with 10,000 supporters and to do it in a safe way, she wanted to say. We fully understand that the situation is complex at the moment. But we also find it difficult to understand that the Corona, a room that we also manage, can reopen by welcoming 500 spectators, when its capacity is 1000 spectators.
“That’s what’s hard to follow. Obviously we didn’t expect to be able to go from 0 to 21,000 spectators all at once, but we thought we could reach a greater number of seats than just 500.
As of February 7, therefore, this figure of 500 spectators will be the norm at the Bell Centre, at least for the following weeks. The Canadian plans to allow box holders access to the next games, as soon as it is permitted. Fans who already had tickets for these matches will have the choice of a credit or a refund.
The restrictions imposed on the Canadian are identical to those imposed on the two Ontario clubs, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators, who must also content themselves with playing local games in front of a maximum of 500 people.
On the other hand, the Ontario formations should be able to increase to 50% of their capacity as of February 21, and they should be able to sell all their tickets as of March 14.
The Canadiens, who will not receive any form of financial compensation from the NHL in relation to these measures, hope that the Quebec government will allow them to imitate their Ontario rivals by authorizing an increase in the number of tickets sold over the next month.
Remember that the Canadian has added seven postponed games to its local schedule, which will all be resumed between February 8 and 23.
“Our understanding is that these measures could be eased when the situation allows,” added France Margaret Bélanger. We are hopeful to return to something more normal over the next few weeks. »