The Ontario Hockey League this week announced its plans for a shortened 2020-21 season with an optimistic start date of February 4
Assuming everything goes as planned, the game itself will probably be a little different
Ontario Sports Minister Lisa MacLeod confirmed on Friday afternoon (via Sportsnet) that body control will not be allowed in the league in the coming season The move, according to the province, is seen as a necessary step to allow games to be played and limit the spread of COVID-19
This decision was motivated by the fact that the QMJHL experienced several outbreaks when it returned to play this fall
Like all other sports leagues, the OHL has ended its 2019-2020 season due to the spread of the pandemic
It won’t be a popular decision among fans, but trying to limit the amount of physical contact during a pandemic makes sense The question is what impact it will ultimately have, as well as to what extent it will be. applied Even if you don’t allow body control, players will still spend a lot of time close to each other on the ice (face-offs, for example, or any run for a puck) It doesn’t even take account for the much more likely cause of a potential spread, including teammates sharing the same bench, changing rooms and any travel that takes place
Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports Message him on phtblog @ nbcsportscom or follow him on Twitter @AGretz
Ontario Hockey League
World News – CA – Body control will not be allowed in the Ontario League’s next season
