WHL Commissioner Ron Robison informed media that Jan. 8 is a firm start date for the 2020-21 season. (Screenshot from virtual media conference)

By Trevor Redden

plenty still to be worked out

January start date for WHL is ‘firm’: commissioner

Oct 15, 2020 | 5:35 PM

While many questions remain unanswered, Western Hockey League (WHL) Commissioner Ron Robison provided some clarification following Wednesday’s announcement of a Jan. 8, 2021 regular season start date.

In a virtual conference call with media, Robison began by confirming that Jan. 8 would be a start date for the league, and not a placeholder. Previously, the league had set dates for October and December, only to push it back.

“Our regular season will start on Friday, Jan. 8. That is a firm start date, not a tentative date. As we continue to work with the various governments and health authorities within our jurisdictions on some of the final touches and other issues we need to address with them, we will continue to do that in order to finalize details around our schedule,” Robison said.

The commissioner stressed each of the four provinces and two states the WHL operates in are at different stages relating to the pandemic, and time is needed to work on details before information regarding a schedule can be released.

With a Jan. 8 start date, and a May 2 end date, the expectation is that a maximum of 50 regular season games can be played, all of them within divisions.

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Previously, Robison stated play could not financially proceed unless local health authorities allowed fans in buildings at 50 per cent capacity. While that is still the goal, the situation continues to develop.

“That’s our objective, but we recognized that will ultimately be determined by the health authorities through our discussions with them. Those discussions are ongoing, and we’re looking forward to getting some clarification on that soon. The number may be significantly lower than 50 per cent given the health restrictions that apply in various provinces and states currently,” Robison noted.

If authorities do not allow fans in buildings at all in any particular locations, or if a viable level is not met, Robison said the league would be “asking for support.” Presumably, this means financial support from government, as has been done in Quebec with the provincial government providing $20 million in funding for the 12 Quebec-based teams.

The league has fully committed to playing the entire regular season within division, ruling out any further cross-border play if the situation allows for it.

The Red Deer Rebels will play in a Central Division that features only the five Alberta-based teams, while the Swift Current Broncos return to the East Division for 2020-21.

As for playoffs, no decisions have been made at this point, although Robison would like nothing more than to see a full four-round playoff leading into the Memorial Cup, which has been pushed back to the middle of June this year.

“We haven’t even got to discussion of playoffs yet. That will depend on the staging of the Memorial Cup and the ability for us to have full inter-conference playoffs with the [U.S.-Canada] border opening, whether that will be in place by that time. We’re going to have to make that decision later on in the season, so we haven’t really determined what the playoff format would look like, if it would be a traditional four-round playoff or if it would be divisional play only,” Robison explained.

The league has hired Dr. Dhiren Naidu of Edmonton as chief medical advisor, who will oversee the return-to-play process and advise on best practices for managing player safety relating to the coronavirus. Naidu is an associate professor at the University of Alberta and head team physician for the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers and CFL’s Edmonton Football Team. He also served as the NHL medical director for the league’s successful hub in Edmonton.

Robison said there will be an extensive screening process for all individuals involved with the league, and there would certainly be testing for all players and staff upon arrival, although he said the full testing plan moving forward was not yet confirmed. If players were to develop symptoms once with their teams, they would be tested and isolated, and teams would have a protocol to follow.

More details are expected to come out in November as conversations with authorities are had to finalize scheduling options. Teams will hold short training camps after Christmas, and one or two exhibition games will be planned as well.

There is also the logistical issue of bringing import players from abroad back into Canada ahead of the season. In Prince Albert, veterans Aliaksei Protas and Ilya Usau, as well as this year’s import draft pick Uladzislau Shyla are all currently playing in Europe.

(Trevor Redden – paNOW)