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| The Tigers celebrate a road win in January of 2020. |
On Thursday, the WHL put out a release stating the Government of Alberta and Alberta Health gave thumbs up for a return to play plan for the Calgary Hitmen, Edmonton Oil Kings, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Medicine Hat Tigers and Red Deer Rebels.
With the world caught in the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the WHL is trying to play a shortened developmental season with play contained in each of its four divisions.
Normally, the Central Division contains all five teams located in Alberta along with the Swift Current Broncos, but the Broncos have been moved to the East Division for the 2020-21 campaign.
Today, players and staff from the WHL’s five Alberta-based teams began self-quarantining.
They are slated to report to their WHL club’s on Saturday, February 6. At that time, the players and staff will undergo COVID-19 testing followed by an additional quarantine period.
Pre-season and on ice training for the Alberta-based clubs is set for Friday, February 12 at the earliest.
The WHL’s press release announcing the return to play for the Alberta teams was a lengthy one. The length gives a glimpse to the seas that have to be navigated to even get games going.
The Alberta teams will each play a 24-game regular season schedule that is slated to start on Friday, February 26. The regular season schedule will be announced at a later date.
Teams will be playing games on weekends in home-and-home series likely on each Friday and Saturday in order to avoid hotel stays. Four teams will be in action each weekend, while the fifth club will have a bye.
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| Jake Neighbours is set to return to the Oil Kings. |
No spectators will be permitted to enter WHL facilities.
WHL clubs will provide private PCR testing through DynaLIFE Medical Labs in order to ensure no additional strain is placed on public health.
Players will be tested upon arrival to their WHL team and once again before engaging in any team activity.
The major junior circuit will implement an ongoing weekly private PCR testing strategy.
If a WHL squad has one or more players or staff test positive for COVID-19 at any point in the season, the team will be required to suspend its activities for a minimum of 14 days.
There will be enhanced screening for all WHL players, billets, team staff and officials that will take place on a daily basis including regular temperature screenings as well as symptom monitoring through the WHL Athlete RMS Mobile Application.
Masks must be worn by all WHL players at all times except when they are participating on ice for games and practices.
WHL coaches will be required to wear masks at all times including while conducting practice and while behind the bench during games.
The WHL release added the circuit is still working on getting action going for the East, B.C. and U.S. Divisions.
On Friday, the WHL got another unofficial nod for its plan, when the NHL’s St. Louis Blues announced they were assigning 18-year-old left-winger Jake Neighbours back to the Oil Kings.
The Blues selected Neighbours in the first round and 26th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, signed him to a three-year NHL entry-level contract and had him as part of their taxi squad to start the current NHL campaign.
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| The Hitmen aim to enjoy scoring goals again. |
Overall, these games will allow NHL and other professional and U Sports scouts to get more current game footage on prospects.
The WHL has a well-laid plan to get back into action in Alberta. There is still a chance even these short 24-game seasons can be derailed.
Like anything else in the current day, all the players and
staffers can do is cross their fingers and do their best to follow the protocols
and hope everything works out.
SFU18AAAHL players make valiant video, other
notes
If they don’t get to lace up the skates again for the 2020-21 campaign, the players from the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League said their piece.
Players from the seven-team circuit made a video four minutes and 46 seconds in length targeted at the Government of Saskatchewan and Premier Scott Moe making a case to allow them to return to play at this point during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The video debuted on the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts of the Prince Albert Northern Bears. The Facebook post has been shared 263 times, the Twitter post was shared 130 times and the Instagram post has been viewed 5,134 times.
Due to provincial Public Health Orders that were brought in to battle COVID-19, no actual hockey games have been played in Saskatchewan since late November 2020.
At the time the SFU18AAAHL player video was made, athletes aged 18 and under can participate in sports training and practice sessions in groups of eight players or less. On Tuesday, the existing Public Health Orders in Saskatchewan were extended to February 19.
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| The Bears celebrate an OT winner in Nov. 2020. |
The SFU18AAAHL players listed a number of reasons why they should be allowed to return to play. They talked about mental health being affected and that hockey helped provide an escape from what was happening in the world.
The players said they had religiously followed the Public Health Orders that were laid out when they were playing.
The players added that not playing hampers their development and the graduating players have less of a chance to be seen by post-secondary programs.
They said the family atmosphere they had with their teams has been a big positive in their lives.
Kailey Ledoux, who is a 17-year-old forward with the Bears, was emphatic in stating that hockey was not a hobby for the players but a lifestyle.
After watching the video, the players of the SFU18AAAHL should be commended for making their valiant piece.
They put themselves out there on social media lines knowing they could see some not nice feedback. Some of those that might deliver the not nice feedback won’t care that these are female player aged anywhere from 15 to 18.
For the most part, the feedback inside their social media lines appears to mostly be positive. There were a couple of cranky responses on the Bears Facebook and Instagram accounts.
In the grand scheme of things, I don’t think the video will ultimately bring hockey games back into action.
Health officials are way too concerned about how easily COVID-19 can spread.
I myself am aware that there are officials in Saskatchewan’s school systems who are very concerned about minor hockey potentially returning to action. In general, officials found their biggest grief in keeping COVID-19 out of the schools came from people having spent time at the rinks for hockey games, when games were allowed to be played.
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| The Stars celebrate a goal in Nov. 2020. |
I always hope I am wrong on all that, but the realist and the gut feeling in me makes me think that will be how this all unfolds.
Had this video ultimately been a story on a CBC platform you could be certain you would encounter a lot more people from that audience that would be against returning to play.
Of course, all of this has materialized how it has because there are inconsistencies to the Public Health Orders across Canada. Canada also borders with the United States, and that creates frustrations up here.
At times, being close neighbours with the United States likely presents a bad example for Canada to follow on some fronts. Also, it seems like there are too many people in Canada that believe Canada is actually an extension or the same country as the United States.
A lot of sports leagues are playing down there, because sports are a huge money industry in the United States. You can follow the exploits of some NCAA women’s hockey teams down in the United States that are currently playing in the pandemic.
If the SFU18AAAHL teams existed in the United States, the head coaches would likely be making $100,000 a year salaries instead of small honorariums.
Even with noting all that, there are a lot of leagues and teams that aren’t playing in the United States. There are areas in that country that are experiencing strict COVID-19 restrictions.
No matter what walk of life you are in, the COVID-19 pandemic does reinforce the notion that life is not fair.
Still, you have to give full credit to the SFU18AAAHL players for having the courage to speak out. Overall, they are all really great teenagers and super young adults.
They said what they felt needed to be said while opening up to the risk of being targets for a backlash.
· As of Saturday night, the January jackpot for the Saskatchewan Amateur Football Mega 50/50 lottery sat at $6,560. The funds from this 50/50 lottery will go to support the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops and Regina Thunder and the WWCFL’s Saskatoon Valkyries and Regina Riot. One prize will be drawn per month, and the remaining draw dates are Sunday, February 28, 2021, March 31, 2021, April 30, 2021 and May 31, 2021. Tickets can be purchased by clicking right here, and purchasers must be in Saskatchewan in order to buy tickets.
· On Thursday, the Quad Town Forum, which is a weekly based in Vibank, Sask., reported over Twitter the Qu’ Appelle Valley Hockey League has cancelled the rest of its junior and senior 2020-21 seasons.
· On Friday, the 2021 Alberta Summer Games that were set for Lethbridge have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Games were originally set for July of 2020 before they were postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The dates for the Alberta Summer Games in 2021 were never officially set.
· On Saturday, Hockey Winnipeg announced it has cancelled the remainder of its minor hockey 2020-21 regular season and playoffs due to restrictions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
· Gregg Drinnan had his latest round up of how the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the sports world in his Taking Note blog on Friday. That post can be found by clicking right here.
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