Bubble up in Cape Breton
Why the island would be an ideal location for a QMJHL Maritime bubble
“There’s no doubt hockey fans in Cape Breton would be willing to support the idea of hosting the bubble in Sydney.”
As the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League regular season has paused for an extended Christmas break — what the remainder of the season will look like remains unknown.
Since mid-November, COVID-19 cases have played havoc with regular season QMJHL games in the Maritimes.
The first challenge came with Moncton moving into the orange level as part of New Brunswick's recovery plan, which followed Prince Edward Island breaking away from the Atlantic bubble with rising cases in both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
The final straw came when New Brunswick stopped nonessential travel to and from the province with a 14-day isolation period for those entering the province, as well as Nova Scotia implanting new restrictions for the Halifax area.
The QMJHL chose to press the pause button, even though games were still being played in some Quebec areas.
Although the QMJHL would like to return to the plan they had in place in the fall when the season began, the league is looking at all options in an attempt to have more games played this season.
One option the league is considering is having teams play in bubble cities. It worked last month when seven teams in Quebec's red zones moved to Quebec City for 10 days to play within a protected environment.
The bubble worked quite well and that has given the league reassurance the system works, providing them with the bubble option in other areas given public health approval.
COME TO CAPE BRETON
While league officials continue to figure out what 2021 will bring, if they decide a bubble system is the way to go, there's no reason Cape Breton shouldn't be considered the host for the Maritimes.
For Cape Breton to host, a submission would need to be made to the league. At this time, only locations with QMJHL franchises are being considered and no bids have been entered as far as we know.
For the most part, the Sydney area has fared well in terms of COVID-19 cases. There have been cases in the eastern zone, however, the numbers have been continuously low.
Looking at cities like Halifax, Moncton and Saint John, they've all been shut down in recent weeks because of the virus. In Bathurst, cases have been low, while restrictions remain tight in P.E.I.
It would make sense for the bubble to be held in Sydney. The hotels are all within minutes of Centre 200, not to mention the Cambridge Suites is owned by Cape Breton Eagles majority owner Irwin Simon.
There's lots of available ice at the Cape Breton Regional Municipality-owned Centre 200, meaning having two games a day wouldn't be a major issue, and it would still
allow teams to hold morning practices.
Games at Centre 200 would also mean more work for employees at the facility.
Along with hotel and ice rentals, teams would be spending money on players at local restaurants as well. Of course, the players themselves wouldn't be physically inside the locations, but the takeout option would be available.
Although some will argue keeping the virus at bay is the reason not to have teams here, it should be known these players wouldn't be mingling with the community. Basically, they'd go from the rink to the hotel — there's no risk of community spread in that aspect.
FANS FUTURE
The question of whether fans would be allowed inside the building — no matter where a bubble is located — will be an interesting discussion.
Fans were allowed inside Centre 200 for Q games, with physical distancing and masks, prior to the December shutdown, so one would think they'd be allowed inside for a bubble as well — again no contact with the players or team officials.
There's no doubt hockey fans in Cape Breton would be willing to support the idea of hosting the bubble in Sydney.
In terms of the entertainment value, fans would have more opportunity to see players like Elliot Desnoyers (Halifax), Zachary L'Heureux (Halifax), Justin Barron (Halifax), Mathieu Desgagnés (Acadie-Bathurst), Cédric Desruisseaux (Charlottetown), Colten Ellis (Charlottetown) and Philippe Daoust (Moncton).
The most excitement, aside from the hometown Eagles, would be watching the young stars on the Saint John Sea Dogs like Joshua Roy, Brady Burns, Leighton Carruthers, Cam MacDonald, Peter Reynolds, William Villeneuve and Charlie DesRoches to name some.
Of course, nothing has been confirmed by the league and surely we won't know until after Christmas what really will happen, but if it's a reality, public health grants permission and Cape Breton applies, it will be difficult for the league not to award the bubble to the Sydney area.
As the COVID-19 situation consistently evolves, time will only tell how it will be handled by the QMJHL, but a bubble city is very much a strong possibility.