Canadiens game versus Flyers to be played behind closed doors

The Montreal Canadiens announced moments ago that tonight’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers will be played without fans in the building.

Here’s the club’s official statement:

“Faced with the spiraling rise of COVID-19 cases in the region, late this afternoon the Montreal Canadiens organization received a request from Quebec public health officials to host tonight’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers in a closed setting with no fans in attendance at the Bell Centre. We have accepted this request in order to help ensure the safety and security of our fans and fellow citizens throughout our community. An update on the status of Saturday’s scheduled game against the Boston Bruins will be provided tomorrow.”

Quebec premier Francois Legault is set to speak to reporters just after 6 o’clock. He is expected to update the public on the province’s future restrictions as the Omicron variant cases continue to skyrocket throughout the Quebec, the country and the continent.

The Montreal Canadiens also tried to give fans perspective on when they could next be in the Bell Centre in their statement:

“We have obtained assurances that beginning with our games in January, we will return to a partial capacity scenario and be able to host fans once more. More details will follow in the days to come and as the portrait of this ever-evolving pandemic becomes clearer. In the interim we would continue to encourage everyone to get vaccinated, get their booster shots when possible, and be responsible with their social and family gatherings throughout the holidays. We hope that with rigor and a collective effort from all of us, we will be able to come together in a near future in 2022.”

The Habs are scheduled to play four more games before the NHL’s Christmas break against the Bruins, Islanders, Rangers and Devils. More details to come on Montreal Hockey Now.