Report: Government Approves Travel Between USA, Canada for NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

After spending the season thus far in an isolated, all-Canadian division, the NHL's Canadian teams will be able to host U.S. teams for the final two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

CBC News reported Sunday that the Canadian federal government approved a travel exemption that will allow NHL teams to cross the border without quarantining. 

The Canadian Press reported last week that league and health authorities were working toward the exemption, which would bypass the two-week isolation requirement for nonessential travel. 

There was no consistent international travel in the NHL last season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the NHL finished the season in Toronto and Edmonton, the American teams crossed the border once. 

NHL players and team personnel will arrive in Canada on private planes and be tested for COVID-19 before and after they arrive. Daily tests will also be administered, and players will reside in a bubble setting separated from the general public, per the CBC. 

Prior to the exemption, the NHL was exploring the possibility of relocating the Canadian division winner to the U.S. to finish the season, similar to what other Canada-based sports teams are doing this year. 

MLB's Toronto Blue Jays followed that model this season (playing in Dunedin, Florida, and then relocating to Buffalo). Toronto FC, CF Montreal and the Vancouver Whitecaps of Major League Soccer are playing the season stateside.

The Montreal Canadiens have a 2-0 lead over the Winnipeg Jets in their second-round playoff series, and the victor will face the winner of the series between the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche in the semifinals. 

The Avalanche have a 2-1 series advantage.