Hockey for the 2020-2021 season is done in Canada at the Junior A and Junior B levels. Some Junior C and Major Junior will be played, but for the most part hockey is over in Canada for this year.
Yes, its over. With your hockey, AAA, and most of Junior A and B running out of time and restrictions being extended, its over.
Its over just as much as it was over in July, August, September and so on.
Maybe now its time to start planning for next season which will be more of the same? Of course not. My Canadian friends and colleagues will continue to say “just a few more weeks” or “don’t worry this season will be fine” or any number of prefabricated excuses to not look at alternatives to get on the ice.
Tens of thousands of Canadian players lost a full year of development because the held out hope and believed in words spoken by people who did not have the players best interest in mind, only their own organization best interest in mind.
So, mark my words. Hockey in Canada will not go back to normal for the 2021-2022 season.
Tryout camps, summer camps, showcases and all the other great things we all got used to over the years will be canceled and delayed again this summer. Some will happen, but many will not and if they do happen they will have strict rules regarding contact.
Hockey in the USA? Maybe by late fall things will start returning to normal with massive vaccine roll outs.
The USA is still the wild west compared to Canada so that’s why hockey is being played. Still thousands of players in the United States lost full seasons of development.
The Canadian and United States border? Yep, everyone said “no problem” for Americans to go to Canada. A few made it across. How did that work out for you and your season?
Think the border will reopen? Not until massive testing and vaccine passports are available on both sides of the border. Yes, I know that infringes on your rights in both countries. Simple solution is to keep your rights and not leave the country.
Don’t want to get a vaccine or don’t have one? Yeah, you probably won’t be playing anywhere.
If you are not already planning for next season, you clearly didn’t learn anything from the last two seasons.
Joseph Kolodziej – Adviser
