Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

KAMLOOPS BLAZERS

Blazers send players home to wait out COVID-19

Mar 16, 2020 | 5:26 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s only been four days since the WHL suspended the season due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Amid the ever-evolving storylines surrounding the virus, news came Saturday evening the hockey club was sending players home.

“These kids are 16 to 20 years old, and all live in communities through western Canada,” Blazers President and COO Don Moores told CFJC Today. “What happens is parents — parents are concerned about their kids.”

CFJC Today has learned all the Blazers players have made it home safely to their respective hometowns. For Moores, sending them back was the best decision for those young athletes amidst the uncertainty surrounding the season.

“Our kids are so used to a routine,” Moores explained. “They have a procedure they do every day. It’s early in the morning, then it’s practice, then it’s engagements in the community, or it’s games. All of a sudden, nothing is going on, and it’s quite a dramatic effect on them.”

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The remainder of the WHL season has been shelved, pending a Board of Governors meeting Tuesday. For now, the Blazers’ best regular season in years remains adjourned, but with no end in sight to the COVID-19 crisis, Moores says all the club can do is wait.

“We’re just going to continue to watch, and we’re very optimistic that we’re going to continue on,” Moores said. “We’re really proud of our team in terms of where we’ve gone so far this year. We’re excited in showing what we can do in the playoffs and we’re going to continue to focus on that, and go from there.”

Monday morning (Mar. 16), the Blazers also announced they plan to close their offices for the time being. However, front office staff can be reached via email or by phone.