Image credit; Kamloops Blazers
WHL/Blazers COVID update

WHL/Blazers dealing with unprecedented and uncertain times.

Jun 16, 2020 | 6:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s been just over three months since the rest of the Western Hockey League season, the playoffs and the Memorial Cup were all cancelled because of COVID-19.

Three months filled with uncertainty about what the future holds, and with plenty of behind the scenes work going on with different scenarios to prepare for the 2020-21 season.

“Weird” is the word Blazers President and Chief Operating Officer Don Moores used to describe these unprecedented and uncertain times.

Not knowing from day to day what might or what might not be.

“I think my analogy is that it’s kind of like shoveling fog.”

Moores says the conversations are in trying to understand what the different jurisdictions in the league are doing — six of them —- four provinces and two states — and deal with the different criteria in each.

The U.S. – Canada border shutdown to non-esstential travel has been extended to July 21 —- that’s two months before the normally scheduled start of league play.

Provincial health officer Bonnie Henry says the limit on gatherings of 50 or more isn’t going away soon.

“We’ve been really working hard on a protocol that we think will be effective that we will be able to take to each individual government.” says Moores. “To show them how we can get back to playing with our players, and also how we believe we can have fans in the building, and how we think that can work. Every hockey team in Canada, whether it’s B.C. Junior, Kamloops Storm or us, we are all reliant on fans and that’s where a lot of our revenue comes from, there’s no question about that.”

The league is working in conjunction with Hockey Canada on issues of what the day looks like relating to different protocols within the arena, distancing, isolation and sanitation.

Moores says the plan remains at this time to still have players reporting back to Kamloops and training camp in late August.

“Our plan is to get our players here for sure.” says Moores. “We have a program that we’re committed to. We’re very excited about our franchise and about the players that we have coming back. We feel that we’re about to have some very good years here.”

Moores says the shutdown of the season in March was as tough on the fans as it was on the players.

‘It’s a little bit tough because we did have such a strong finish. We had great aspirations of going on. They (the fans) were very excited about that. We actually haven’t sold any season tickets yet. One of the things we don’t want to do is over promise and under deliver. It’s important for us to make sure that we know what we’re going to have and what that season will look like before we move ahead with that. I’m really happy that they have been patient with us and hopefully we’ll have some answers coming soon.”

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