Victoriaville Tigres player tests positive for COVID-19, halting play in Chicoutimi

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced on Tuesday that a member of the Victoriaville Tigres has tested positive for COVID-19, and that the entire team and staff will be leaving its bubble for a 14-day isolation period.

The announcement comes a day after the league postponed two Tuesday games in Chicoutimi, Que., — one of three current locations set up as a “protective environment” allowing the Quebec-based teams to resume the 2020-21 season. 

Victoriaville was scheduled to play the Gatineau Olympiques in one of two games at the George Vezina Centre in Chicoutimi, with the hometown Sagueneens playing the Val-d’Or Foreurs in the other.

The QMJHL says it is still waiting for additional test results, and will announce schedule changes as early as Wednesday.

The 12 Quebec-based teams in the QMJHL returned to play Jan. 22 in protected environments in Chicoutimi, Drummondville, Rimouski and Shawinigan. 

Chicoutimi, Drummondville and Rimouski are currently scheduled to host round two of bubble hockey from Jan. 29 to Feb. 6. 

The QMJHL was the only one of three Canadian major junior leagues to open play around its normal start date this season. But it suspended play Dec. 1 before returning with its protective environments.

The QMJHL teams in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island were given government permission to return to action last week, while the league’s three teams in New Brunswick continue to sit out.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published February 2, 2021.

The Canadian Press