The life blood of junior hockey is youth hockey players. Without them there is no junior hockey. Without safe playing environments in the Greater Toronto area, there will be no youth hockey for two associations.
Two local junior hockey organizations are now backing out of the 2020-2021 season, less than a month after the Greater Toronto Hockey League rolled out its plan for returning to the rink amid the pandemic.
The East York Hockey Association and the Amesbury Bert Robinson Minor Hockey League have cancelled their programs for the upcoming season.
A post on the East York website said the league’s focus has always been to provide a safe hockey environment, the association does not believe that is possible under the current situation in Ontario with COVID-19 cases on the rise.
The association also added that with fewer players registering to play this year, costs to those participating would have been elevated anywhere from thirty to fifty percent for this season.
Also of note, parents have begun reporting equipment shortages and price increases in essential equipment due to those shortages.
It’s October 1, 2020.
This is far from over.
Joseph Kolodziej – Adviser
