Pandemic forces organizers to delay Bell Capital Cup

In an inevitable move, the Bell Capital Cup has now officially been postponed.

Generally regarded as the world's top atom and peewee hockey tournament, it has been a Christmas holidays staple in Ottawa for the past 22 years.

Yet with the city currently experiencing a second wave of the coronavirus and with teams from outside Canada unwilling or unable to travel, tournament organizers made the difficult decision to put the event on ice.

“Following the review of several possible scenarios, and in recognition of Hockey Canada's evolving return-to-play plan, it was determined that holding the tournament at its usual time was unfeasible,” Bell Capital organizers said in a statement.

“As the safety of participants, volunteers, spectators and facility staff is of utmost importance, and given the current climate and regulations in place, holding a large-scale event of this size was not possible.”

Considering the challenges of travel and/or hotel accommodations, the participation of teams from outside Ottawa was deemed “unrealistic.”

At this point, no games are allowed to be played in Ottawa and many minor hockey associations have temporarily shut down. After re-entering Phase 2 guidelines earlier this month, a maximum of 10 skaters — including coaches — are allowed on the ice at one time.

The Ottawa International Hockey Festival isn't ruling out holding a restructured tournament in the new year.

“The tournament's board of directors will continue to investigate all options,” the statement said.

In 2007, the tournament established a Guinness Book of World Records honour as the world's largest hockey tournament, attracting 510 teams and 8,145 players. Over the years, teams have arrived from the U.S., Russia, Finland, Germany, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Hungary and France.