Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire ”
I don’t want to end the week on a bummer, but just one week away from Christmas, unfortunately, there are many bleak sporting aspects.
For hockey fans, I’m sure a consistent Christmas wish is to have the sport return at every level and in every community including the Ontario Hockey League.
The projected start to the OHL regular season is early February, but there’s hardly been a trickle of positive news in recent days.
It’s notable, the Western Hockey League announced this week that they will delay the start of their regular season.
The WHL had projected a start date of January 8th, but now a board of governors meeting is scheduled for next month and maybe they’ll establish a new target date to start.
Among the complications for the 22 team WHL is that they operate in 4 Canadian provinces & 2 American states, taking in massive geography and numerous health agencies.
The OHL by comparison operates in 2 American states and in just one province, but it doesn’t appear to be any less complicated in terms of the health units and the color designations assigned to the various counties and districts.
Among the 17 Ontario based clubs, only the North Bay Battalion & Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds are in Green zones.
The Owen Sound Attack are in the Yellow zone along with the Kingston Frontenacs, Peterborough Petes, Sarnia Sting and Sudbury Wolves
The Niagara Ice Dogs & Ottawa 67’s are the only teams in the Orange Zone.
The Red Zone is crowded with the Barrie Colts, Guelph Storm, Hamilton Bulldogs, Kitchener Rangers, London Knights & Oshawa Generals
And finally the Windsor Spitfires & Mississauga Steelheads are in the Gray, or Lockdown, Zone.
Of note, OHL teams have not received updates or guidelines for a prolonged period, which is not a fault of the OHL, but rather a testament to how a global pandemic has taken their operation hostage.
And while the OHL’s projected return to play remains February, the WHL decision, a closed international border and the wide range of health unit Covid color codes across Ontario makes the target date seem extremely doubtful.
I’m Fred Wallace