WHL targets January for start of games
Teams will be limited to play within their own division — and there may not be fans in the seats
The WHL is no longer conspicuous by its silence.
We hadn't heard a peep out of the major junior hockey loop for some time. That had to be frustrating to its fans, players and sponsors — all lifebloods of the league — since circuits like the Junior A B.C. Hockey League had found ways to get up and running.
The WHL update came late last week. The league has set Jan. 8 for a start date and plans for teams to play only in their regions. That means, for instance, that the Vancouver Giants, Victoria Royals, Kamloops Blazers, Kelowna Rockets and Prince George Cougars will square off against just their B.C. foes.
Giants defenceman Alex Kannok Leipert explained the “announcement is the best news we could ask for.” It's a sentiment that was undoubtedly shared throughout the league by its players.
The league had announced Aug. 6 that it was pushing its opening night back to Dec. 4 from Oct. 2, and that was their last major announcement.
“Being able to co-ordinate everything and gear up for Jan. 8 is all we want,” Kannok Leipert, 20, explained. “It is a huge relief to have some set plans. The league, teams and owners are working hard for us and I know I really appreciate it.”
That Jan. 8 start date is as set as anything is set in these COVID-19 times, but it does put the WHL in line with the NHL, which is pledging a January start for its new season as well.
It does mean that players won't be going back-andforth between their teams and their homes before the Christmas break too. WHL commissioner Ron Robison says it allows the teams to play a 50-game schedule. The schedule should be released by late November.
There are other crucial details to be finalized.
The WHL would like to be able to put fans in buildings to help with costs. B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has shown no interest in backing off of her ban on gatherings of more than 50 people.
“We understand and appreciate the position of the current
B.C. government and health authority and we are speaking with them,” Robison said.
Robison did say that if the league can't get fans into their buildings that they would ask for government assistance. That is obviously on hold in B.C., with the election pending.
“We haven't got to those discussions yet. It's one of the reasons that we selected January for our start,” Robison said.
The BCHL is playing exhibitions currently and plans to start its regular season in December, and it's been able to do that because it's charging player fees. The league has never announced what the fee
is, but has said that it can vary from team-to-team.
The league plans to ask for its buildings to be open to 25 per cent capacity come the regular season and, if that's permitted by health officials, they'll scale back the player fees, according to BCHL commissioner Chris Hebb.
Giants owner Ron Toigo continues to balk at the idea that the WHL will charge player fees.
“These guys make commitments to us,” he said. “There's an obligation that we have to the players. We will find a way to make it work. We understand a lot more than we understood even a month ago and we're seeing examples of
how it works now and it's pretty plausible.”
Toigo believes the league can get fans into buildings safely.
“When there's been problems, it's been with the players making bad decisions and not the fans,” said Toigo. “We're going to have our protocols (with players) and there will be consequences if you don't follow those protocols. The more evidence we can give on how it can work (with fans in buildings), the better it is for us. I can see it happening.”
Robison also said that he didn't “envision any changes in our style of play,” even though that's been talked
about for the two other major junior leagues.
“We haven't spent any time talking about the rules,” Robison explained.
Isabelle Charest, minister responsible for sport in Quebec, said in September that she would be willing to support the provincial government helping fund the QMJHL this season, but she wanted to see the league remove fighting. The league agreed to toughen its fighting rules and earlier this week the government said it was pledging $12 million. The QMJHL has started its regular season, playing in front of either empty buildings or limited crowds, but has had shutdowns
due to COVID-19 outbreaks on teams and in areas where clubs are situated.
Meanwhile, the OHL is slated to start in December, and Lisa MacLeod, the minister in charge of sport in that province, has said that the league needs to remove bodychecking.
The guidelines for return to play in B.C. were set by viaSport, a provincial agency. They currently allow cohorts of up to four teams, so that's something that the WHL needs to work out as well, what with five teams in the province.