<\/p>\n
Games with fans are not on the horizon. Team revenues are in crisis and expenses are rising. Through a pandemic and major lawsuits, the CHL is pushing forward. If it is to be successful, it has to provide a safe environment for hockey players and families at the rink and beyond. The CHL is in crisis.<\/p>\n
The third in a 3-part series.<\/em><\/p>\n CHL teams are hoping to play. Currently in a terrible position, not making the situation worse will be challenge. There is a desire from the league to play, how that might look is difficult to imagine.<\/p>\n The <\/span>QMJHL has proposed an adapted plan<\/span><\/a> for returning to hockey. They are targeting an October 1st start which seems unrealistic. If Wal*Mart in the United States is giving up their annual Black Friday in November, that minor hockey would have the means to play seems unlikely. Not with the CHL in crisis, that is.<\/span><\/p>\n The plan from Quebec is beginning to acknowledge that travel costs are going to be a major issue. Every effort will need to be taken to keep costs down,and even that may not be enough. At this point, even the start of the 2021-22 NHL season\u2019s planned January start is in jeopardy. If that ends up being the case, minor hockey can only wait.<\/span><\/p>\n The CHL is for junior hockey players. They are not adults. The league is trusted by the parents of players to help raise their kids, and that means a considerable amount of trust in the teams. They have not always shown they deserve that trust historically, which has resulted in multiple major lawsuits. Team busses are chalk full of teenage hockey players. This environment is not conducive to social distancing.<\/span><\/p>\n The players below the age of consent especially need consideration. Society protects them from themselves under normal circumstances. They are teenagers. In the Covid environment this responsibility changes dramatically. Suddenly we need to consider two seats to one person on the bus, and reduced sharing of hotel rooms. Gym usage, practices, education, and many other hurdles are going to prove logistical quagmeiers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If social distancing is not possible, alternatives are few. The only safe way to keep teams together would involve significant Covid testing. For MLS, NHL, and the NBA it\u2019s a very costly issue. The NHL\u2019s return to play bubble is expected to surpass 25-30,000 tests at $125 per test (<\/span>Per SI.<\/span><\/a>) As their commissioner, Gary Bettman<\/strong> declared, expectations are to render that number of tests \u201cinsignificant.\u201d That easily puts the figure above $4 million on testing alone. That is for a smaller number of teams who can happen to afford to rent entire hotels with tunnel access to rinks. The professional sports leagues are also getting priority testing for Covid, which is no guarantee for the CHL in crises.<\/span><\/p>\n Issues of money aside, it must be remembered these athletes are human. Especially for non-professional leagues the question must be asked if it is even worth playing. Many professional athletes have contracted Covid. Superstar baseball player Freddy Freeman revealed this week he prayed for his life while he was sick. Is the hockey world prepared to accept that a junior hockey player might experience the same fate or worse? It must be a difficult question.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
Part 3. Moving Forward Without Making it Worse<\/span><\/h2>\n
A Safe Environment for Junior Hockey<\/span><\/h3>\n
Proximity Alert<\/h3>\n
Family Matters<\/h3>\n