Delayed OHL season for the best

The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) has announced its regular season won’t begin until December.

This decision wasn’t made lightly, as the league’s 2019-20 season was forced to end early due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning the league missed out on playoffs and the Memorial Cup.

The upcoming season will consist of 64 games ending in April 2021. Thus far, Oshawa Generals General Manager Roger Hunt isn’t sure if fans will be in the stands.

However, in the end Hunt reinforces that safety is more important than anything, and making sure the players, fans, and staff are safe is priority number one for the league.

Ultimately, the decision to delay the season is a good idea, especially as Ontario, for the most part, is still in Stage 3 of COVID-19 recovery, and will be for a while.

This means the beginning of the season, which is normally in late September, would likely have fallen under the current stage of recovery.

Currently, indoor gatherings are limited to 50 people in Ontario, and outdoor gatherings are limited to a maximum of 100.

There are still social distancing guidelines in place of six feet, or two metres, separation.

In Oshawa, the Tribute Communities Centre can hold up to approximately 5,500 people, and the stands, like many arenas, are not well suited for social distancing.

So, instead of finding a way to fit as many people in as the stadium can hold while following provincial guidelines, delaying the season will hopefully allow for some restrictions to be eased, and fans will be able to sit and watch their favourite local hockey teams hit the ice once again.

The upcoming season of OHL hockey and how the league handles the current pandemic will be pivotal for the league.

The decision to delay, while a bitter pill to swallow for some, is for the best.