RETURN TO PLAY FOR OHL PLACED ON HOLD AGAIN
Once-optimistic Ontario sports minister says `the ground has shifted significantly'
At this rate, any Ontario Hockey League 2020-21 season could very well just segue right into the 2021-22 season.
While every other province in the country — as well as leagues throughout the United States and Europe — found a way back on the ice this season, the provincial government is once again putting a return to play on hold for the OHL.
“We're not simply in a position to sign off on a return to play, whether that is the CFL (Canadian Football League) or the OHL at this moment,” Lisa Macleod, who is Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, said in a media Zoom call on Thursday.
More than a month ago, Macleod expressed confidence that things were falling into place to get the OHL back on the ice this season and hoped for an announcement by the end of March.
“We were getting close toward the end of March, but I think it's been very clear that the health conditions across Ontario, the hospital capacity that we're seeing, the limitations on our ICU (Intensive Care Unit) capacity and simply the numbers in Ontario right now are not at a place where we can sign off on return to play,” Macleod said. “We were close, but the ground has shifted significantly.”
In the grand scheme of things, getting junior hockey players back on the ice hardly seems a priority in the midst of a global pandemic.
Still, while Ontario is once again back in lockdown, it hasn't prevented the National Hockey League from continuing to play in the province or the American Hockey League.
“Simply, at the moment, just given the current health circumstances, it would be irresponsible for us at the moment to bring (back) that play,” Macleod said. “We're starting to see some outbreaks in other leagues. You know, outbreaks even within the NHL. So, we just need to be really mindful of these young athletes and their long-term health and their abilities.”
No one is questioning that the safety of players and everyone involved should not be the top priority. As well, no one is saying that a return to play should be pushed to satisfy prospects or agents looking at July's NHL Draft or by how much damage not having a season could do to the league from a competitive standpoint for recruiting.
However, the Canadian Hockey League's other two branches — the Western Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League — have found a way to get players back on the ice. Sure, there have been moments leagues have been forced to pause play, but there was a plan in place and safety measures that prompted those pauses.
The number of players and people mixing in a building, testing requirements and levels of sanitation are all issues Macleod brought up for a hub or bubble setting and ones addressed by other leagues.
Still, now more than 14 months since the OHL paused play, the government has been unable to devise a concrete plan to return to play, but has managed to find a way to get students back into classrooms. Some league officials argue that getting players back on the ice would be safer in a bubble — or hub-like environment compared to the exposure seen over the past few months for players seeing fellow students or friends.
“I will say, on a bright side, is that the work that I'm doing on the jobs and recovery committee of cabinet does include what a framework would look like for these types of reopening at the appropriate time,” Macleod said. “But, unfortunately, just given the health care situation we find ourselves in now, that has all been delayed.”
Late in the day, the OHL released a statement on the situation.
“Over the past number of months, the league has worked tirelessly with Premier Doug Ford and the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health on a return to play plan, which we believe is in the best interest of our players' physical and mental health,” the statement said. “This has been our priority and our return to play plan was recently granted conditional approval. The recent increase in COVID-19 cases across the province, paired with the latest reinstatement of a stay-at-home order, (has) put increased pressure on these plans.
“The league will provide a further update to our players, families, billets, teams and fans in the coming days.”
For now, it appears to be back to the drawing board with more talks between the government, health officials and the OHL to try and salvage some form of a season.
“So, we have gone back to the OHL to look at what a different scenario could look like going forward,” Macleod said. “We are also looking at frameworks for other leagues.
“We're now trying our level best to find a solution where they would be able to put in some time. What format this may take is still under discussion and the process by which that would happen would be obviously working with the OHL, my team as well as the Ministry of Health to see what health would be comfortable with. There would be lot of going back and forth in order to ensure a number of things.”