QMJHL sees another turbulent season | The Canadian News

One week after the start of Quebec Major League Youth HockeyThis season, things are shaping up to be as turbulent as the last.

Time on ice in 2020/21 was restricted to teams playing primarily within their own province with limited fans, if any, in the stands amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The league operates in Quebec, New Brunswick, PEI and Nova Scotia, and navigating the ever-changing public safety restrictions in four separate provinces proved to be a challenging task.

“We had a plan one week and the next week we had to throw it away and restart again,” says QMJHL communications director Maxime Blouin.

“Depending on the state of mind of the government and how it is going in your province, we have different directives and different directions.”

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The introduction of Health Canada-approved COVID-19 vaccines brought hope that 2021/22 could be a bit more uniform.

By publishing its schedule in the summer, the league announced hopes of returning to a full 612-game regular season, with each team playing 34 games at home and away.

It also announced the requirements for all ticket players, staff members and family members to be fully vaccinated in order to participate.

“It was important to us,” says Blouin. “Especially after what we went through last year. We had some COVID outbreaks and we don’t want to relive that this year. “


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Blouin says the players obeyed and got their shots in time for development camps.

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Fans wishing to see in person will also need to be fully vaccinated, although stadiums aim to be at full capacity for each game.

That plan, of course, could change with the league, venues and teams at the mercy of each province’s rules.

“We follow public health guidelines,” says Halifax Mooseheads President Brian Urquhart. “They are the leaders in this.”

Nova Scotia is on track to loosen restrictions a bit more on October 4.

If that happens, Mooseheads fans will only need to mask for the team’s home opener, with masks not required under Phase 5 of the province’s COVID-19 recovery plan.

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New Brunswick, however, simply tightened the restrictions, reintroducing its emergency order after two months completely free of restrictions.

Urquhart says fans have understood the fluidity of the situation thus far and hopes that trend will continue.

“They have been on the same roller coaster that we have been on,” he says. “We’re going to make sure everyone who attends a Mooseheads game is safe first and foremost.”


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If capacity limits are reintroduced anywhere QMJHL plays, Blouin says he anticipates ticket holders will understand the need to refund seats.

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“We know we had this experience last year and we can say, ‘Okay, this is coming and we have to adapt,'” he says.

“People understand. They are all in the same situation as us. “

The league’s 18 teams are set to play on the ice for the first games of the season on October 1.



Reference-globalnews.ca

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