U Sports announced on Monday that it was cancelling its fall sports championships, meaning sports like soccer and football will not be played on Canadian campuses a few months from now. Winter sports, like hockey and basketball, will have a delayed start. Atlantic University Sport says winter sports won't start until January at the earliest.
The conferences that make up U Sports said they'll make a decision on the winter sports season in the fall.
U SPORTS: No two-term sports (hockey, volleyball, basketball) to commence prior to January 1, 2021, with the decision to be made no later than October 8th. This goes for OUA, AUS, CW.#USPORTS— Benjamin Steiner (@BenSteiner00) June 8, 2020
The announcement was a big one, but not a huge shock. With many campuses staying closed this fall or only allowing a limited number of students (such as medical students doing lab work), there is simply no way to justify bringing student athletes to campus if their program does not require them to be there.
What does this mean for hockey? It could mean a lot or it could mean a little. The biggest question likely surrounds guys entering their final year(s) of eligibility, who may opt to turn pro (assuming that's an option in the fall either in leagues like the ECHL or in Europe) rather than waiting for the university season to start.
If the season ends up being cancelled completely, players will not lose a year of eligibility. That creates the possibility of some roster jams down the road, but at the same time, a lot of players may not want to stick around for another year of school.
U SPORTS HOCKEY: The general consensus from M/W hockey players is that they’re grateful for not being charged a year of eligibility if the season is cancelled, but are not thinking of staying in school for six years, as many already are doing five.#USPORTS— Benjamin Steiner (@BenSteiner00) June 9, 2020
There is a good breakdown of the U Sports situation at 49 Sports. Of note, 49 Sports writes that "for men’s hockey, players coming out of major junior have the benefit of the CHL’s scholarship program, which pays for a year of education for each year the player played in the CHL. These benefits are unaffected even if the hockey season is cancelled."
Some other COVID related notes...
- Some QMJHL teams are starting to roll out season ticket details. This line in the Acadie-Bathurst Titan's news release was interesting: "placing the $50 deposit will also give those fans priority over the general public should the Government of New Brunswick require us to operate at a reduced capacity for our home games." That doesn't come as a huge surprise, but I'll be curious to see if any teams use this as more of a direct sales pitch in the coming weeks and months.
- Could the COVID-19 crises help the QMJHL with player recruitment? The Chronicle Herald examines that.
- If wearing a mask to TD Station was mandatory, would you attend Sea Dogs games? Just over 74% of fans in this Twitter poll say they would still attend CHL games with this requirement.
- Not sure what to make of this (if anything) but the city is apparently moving forward with its operating budget assuming TD Station will remain closed until the new year.
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