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The Ontario Hockey League may have to ban fighting and even body-checking as a condition of resuming games, provincial sport minister Lisa MacLeod told me in an interview.
(The OHL has said it hopes to open training camps in mid-Nov and begin its regular season Dec. 1.)
(The OHL has said it hopes to open training camps in mid-Nov and begin its regular season Dec. 1.)
MacLeod: "The fact is that you can't have physical contact right now… We certainly will not be allowing people to be body checking at the moment. We are trying to contain a healthcare crisis.”
MacLeod said the OHL has said that U.S.-based OHL teams will either relocate to Ontario for the season to avoid cross-border travel or they will remain in the U.S. and only play other American-based teams.
I asked whether spectators would be allowed at OHL games.
MacLeod: “I don't see that happening at the moment.”
"The last thing we want is to open and then have unintended consequences that put the safety and well-being of the athletes, spectators... and others at risk.”
MacLeod: “I don't see that happening at the moment.”
"The last thing we want is to open and then have unintended consequences that put the safety and well-being of the athletes, spectators... and others at risk.”
MacLeod said the OHL & government are talking about a pandemic aid package but the OHL has not made a specific ask.
MacLeod also said the government still hasn’t heard a proposal from the OHL about how often the league would like to test players for Covid-19.
MacLeod also said the government still hasn’t heard a proposal from the OHL about how often the league would like to test players for Covid-19.
MacLeod said Ontario is not immediately considering a provincial-wide shutdown of minor hockey.
She pointed to the mental health benefits of hockey, but said it’s possible that local health departments may cancel programs in the coming weeks as Covid numbers climb.
She pointed to the mental health benefits of hockey, but said it’s possible that local health departments may cancel programs in the coming weeks as Covid numbers climb.
Dr. Andrew Morris ( @ASPphysician) says it’s a bad idea to even contemplate major-junior hockey right now.
Ontario has an 85K test backlog. Some sick people, he says, aren’t being tested b/c they won’t line up for 5-6 hours.
“The numbers are going in the wrong direction fast."
Ontario has an 85K test backlog. Some sick people, he says, aren’t being tested b/c they won’t line up for 5-6 hours.
“The numbers are going in the wrong direction fast."
Dr. Isaac Bogoch ( @BogochIsaac) shared that he spoke on a Sept. 24 conference call with Toronto-area minor hockey leagues and recommended a shutdown for the 2020-21 season.
“I’d be very hesitant o play… Who do these players go home to & what’s the ripple effect this could have?"
“I’d be very hesitant o play… Who do these players go home to & what’s the ripple effect this could have?"
