MeHateHe
Registered User
- Dec 24, 2006
- 2,465
- 2,795
I've seen the statement, but City Council said CN Centre won't open until 2021, and even then only if the province moves to Stage 4 of its reopening plan, so I don't know where the Cougars get their optimism.The Cougars tweeted out a message this afternoon that said, among other things, that "...the City of Prince George has assured our organization that the CN Centre will reopen."
Kin, aquatic centres to reopen
The league's schedule seems to be based on the notion that rules around large gatherings are going to be eased by Oct. 2. Again, that strikes me as very optimistic. BC's PHO is nervous about numbers rising now in areas like Kelowna. Factor in the matter that public health officials are looking at outbreaks in terms of two incubation periods - four weeks - and the crunch starts to look pretty real.
Reality is there are a lot of tumblers that need to fall perfectly in place for the WHL to be playing hockey in October. It can happen, sure, but I just think the odds are pretty long.
And yes, you're right about the financial implications of playing without fans. But as I said, the PHO has given zero indication she's prepared to allow for gatherings of several thousand. Alberta has been making decisions that are a bit more political than scientific, but with the numbers coming out of Edmonton and Calgary, I don't think they're going to be keen either. So unless those numbers change, the league either plays without fans (presumably getting some assistance from government or perhaps the NHL) or they don't play at all.
ETA: Has the league made any statement at all about the challenge of players crossing the US/Canada border? Washington is a mess - close to a thousand new cases a day in some cases and it doesn't seem to be getting better. We British Columbians do not want the border opened until their outbreak is under control. I suppose having teams play only within their division is possible, but that still requires players to travel from Canada to the US.
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