COVID catch up: The waiting game

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It's been just over a month since the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League said its planning on an Oct. 1 start to the 2020-21 season.

Since then, the OHL and WHL have joined the QMJHL in planning on early October starts. Last week, the Maritime Hockey League said the same, targeting an Oct. 2 start (which, when you get technical, is probably more likely than Oct. 1 since it's a Friday).

A lot happened hockey wise in June, which was a nice change in talking points. The CHL hasn't made many mentions of its restart plan lately with the three leagues presumably, like the rest of us, playing the waiting game to see which direction things turn over the next couple months.

Overall, things are looking fairly positive around the country, with new COVID-19 infections and deaths continuing to decrease for the most part. That's great... but I can't be the only one who is feeling less and less optimistic about seeing junior hockey return in early October.

I hope I'm wrong, but the chaos happening south of the border is going to no doubt have an impact on all sports in North America. We're starting to see the NCAA gradually cancel its fall seasons, which will have an impact on hockey. The Ivey Leagues announced Wednesday that it won't play sports until Jan. 1 at the earliest, which cuts the ECAC in half. It's hard to imagine the NCAA and its billion$ sitting the fall out while the CHL plays as normal with limited arena capacities (let's not forget that fans need to be permitted in buildings for junior hockey to function).

It's possible. The pandemic has showed us just how quickly things can change. There could be junior hockey in October - but it's harder and harder to picture it happening.

But hey, the NHL bubble! Six games a day! Here's hoping that happens with little hiccups, because some hockey - and some optimism - would be great.

Some other COVID-19 related news...

• Unsurprisingly, the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, scheduled for this fall in Charlottetown and Summerside, has been cancelled. Sea Dogs prospects Leighton Carruthers and Simon Hughes were invited to Hockey Canada's virtual development camp.
• The MHL, like the CHL, needs fans in buildings in order to operate. "A key part of a return to play is spectator capacity in each community," reads a MHL release. "The MHL is a fan-driven league, and it’s critical that the league be able to welcome fans back to their local rink when the 2020-21 season begins."
• I imagine we're going to see some creative ideas when (or if) teams are permitted to allow a certain percentage of fans into buildings. The NFL's Kansas City Chiefs have essentially postponed season ticket memberships to 2021 "because the club cannot fairly re-seat the entire season ticket base across a limited number of seats." Season seat holders "will be automatically included in a single-game presale for any available seats in 2020, once a final capacity is determined."
• Here's some good news to end this post: crossed the border into Nova Scotia after a lovely 2.5 hour wait last weekend only to discover that the Cobequid Pass toll now has debit/credit tap! Life changing.