You don't hear much from OHL Commissioner David Branch these days. The affable and articulate Branch has become rather calculated in his media statements and appearances and has taken the tact that he's not going to say much to rock the boat or engage in any even tacit criticism of the government.
That's a wise move by the way as the government holds the OHL's immediate financial and playing future in their hands at the current time. You also don't hear much from owners, or GM's or coaches either. The only time a coach said something meaningful was a coy message from Ottawa coach Andre Tourigny tweeting that a day was going to a big day. It turned out to have nothing to do with the OHL, but it didn't stop tongues from wagging and OHL social media to speculate.
As for the players? Different story. Owen Sound's Andrew Perrott penned an articulate open letter to the government imploring them to rubber stamp the OHL's return to play. Erstwhile social media guru "OHL Insiders" has been spotlighting different players every day for the past month or so and tagging the government in his tweets under the theme of "Player X isn't playing this year".
At this point in time, no one wants to say the wrong thing. A return to play announcement gets others hot and bothered about playing hockey when the new variant of COVID-19 is decimating hospitals and ICU's across the province. Those who are against any return to play are reminded of the importance of elite hockey players in their draft year, and who have been pursuing a dream their whole lives. It may seem trivial to some but the reality is ALL kids have seen their sports curtailed at various points this year, and that sucks for them, and their own mental health.
At some point the government and the OHL have to announce their plans for the season. Will there be short sprint -like season or a tournament? Or , will they say "See you in September" when a full season can be played. Today, of course, is not the day to announce anything. The Premier is about to unveil a province wide shutdown for 28 days and the timing would be lousy to say the least . A 28 day shutdown should also not be a death knell for the season as there remains a time table, all be it a tight one, to get a season in.
My personal opinion is that it is time to be bold and to announce a return to play at a quiet time next week when people have settled into the shutdown. The OHL should then schedule the season to start the late in the 2nd week in May when players have had a chance to get back to the ice rinks, do the necessary quarantine and find their game legs. The season as whole should end the 2nd week of July in order to give a little bit of breathing room until the NHL Draft which is scheduled for July 22nd and 23rd. I don't know how many games you can fit into a season that short, and have a quick playoff set up, but I still feel any sort of meaningful game time is worth it for not only the draft eligible, but the 16 year old players and the ones hoping to continue their career at the pro or U-Sports level. This or course hinges on government support to protect OHL owners, which contrary to some people's opinions, are small to medium businesses that deserve all the supports other businesses have received throughout this pandemic.
By the time May rolls around our vaccination process should be robust and gaining momentum to get everyone eligible their first shot. It simply is a better time to have a season. As for fans in the stands, sorry, at this point I think it should be a no go. I know that you can safely put 20% capacity in most arenas safely, but at this point why introduce something that may increase the risk even a little bit?
I do not know what Sportsnets plans might be, but I would encourage even more of a relationship between local coverage and Sportsnet, and certainly every game should be streamed live with the appropriate commentary. I would strongly lean on Sportsnet and the OHL to offer highlights to be played on the network, especially if they are not going to cover games. Radio stations will have to make their decisions separately as to whether or not to pursue that avenue. The games would be played in four or five different hub cities with four or five teams in each hub.
Hey, the timing sucks, and the last thing anyone wants to discuss is junior hockey. However, it is time for the OHL to be bold and announce a return to play at an appropriate time next week. Lets give junior hockey players, coaches, employees, broadcasters and fans something to look forward to.
Steve Clark
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