Canadiens to Host Thursday Game Without Fans

The Montreal Canadiens have announced that they will host Thursday night's game versus the Philadelphia Flyers with no fans in attendance. 

The decision comes after the Quebec government advised the Canadiens to shut their doors to fans in order to combat the rising COVID-19 cases across the country. Earlier this week, the Ontario government took action of their own to control possible spreader events in the province by announcing that all indoor entertainment venues would be cutting their maximum capacity to 50 percent. 

Those venues include Scotiabank Arena, which houses the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors. 

In an official statement, the Canadiens revealed that they have received assurances from the government that their home games will return to at least 50 percent capacity in early-January, and that the status for Saturday's home game versus the Boston Bruins has yet to be determined. 

This news follows a recent spike in NHLers entering health and safety protocols across the league, prompting the NHL to re-institute strict protocols that were enforced last season for a temporary period. 

At this point, the likelihood of the NHL participating in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics lessens by the day.