Many have said I have painted a bleak picture for Tier II hockey in the United States and Canada. I don’t think I have. My comments have actually been rather reserved and not as direct as I would normally be.
The NOJHL has officially lost the Elliot Lake Wildcats for the 2020-2021 season.
In an official statement Elliot Lake has said;
“Club President Len Kutchaw stated “This was not an easy decision by the Board, but there is simply too much uncertainty around the long-term impact of the COVID-19 restrictions to allow us to make a reasonable plan for icing a team in the fall; however, we are committed to the league and to having a strong, competitive Wildcats team in the future.”
In the stated reasons for going dark, Kutchaw noted that it would be extremely difficult to attract sponsors given the economic impact of business closures and shut downs and an inability to say when the season might start. The restrictions on public gatherings and events means the Wildcats are unable to do scheduled fundraisers which are an important part of the budget, and also impact the ability to have fans in the stands on game nights.
Now for some of you who have said I have painted a dark picture of the future, please look at the stated reasons from Elliot Lake. These are exactly the reasons I said teams would go dark two months ago and as recently as yesterday.
The bad news? This is just the beginning Elliot Lake will not be the last. Seven others minimum will not make it to this time next month.
Come back on Monday for some very shocking and very real information regarding next season.
If you don’t have an Adviser, my email is below.
Joseph Kolodziej – Adviser
