BURNABY, B.C. – The BC Hockey League announced today that it is planning to start
the 2020-21 regular season on Dec. 1, pending approval from the Provincial Health
Office (PHO).
“We’ve been having discussions with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture since
March around a safe return to play,” said BCHL Commissioner Chris Hebb. “The PHO
has indicated to us that waiting until December gives us the best chance at ensuring we
have an uninterrupted season, while also maximizing the amount of regular-season
games we’ll be able to play.”
A full schedule with a December start date will be announced at a later date. The
pushback to Dec. 1 aligns with the NHL’s plan to start their 2020-21 season.
“The reality is that, for us to be able to operate, we need to have fans in our buildings,”
said Chairman of the BCHL Board of Directors Graham Fraser. “It became clear from
our discussions with the PHO that the best way to accomplish this would be to delay the
start of our season to give them time to assess the effects of a potential second wave of
COVID-19 during flu season.”
Teams will have the option to hold an extended training camp from September to
November, which will include regular on-ice training. Once the province moves into
Phase 3 of viaSport BC’s Return to Play model, exhibition competition with other BCHL
teams will be expanded in-region.
Training camps will be permitted to begin as early as Sep. 8 under current mass
gathering restrictions which only allow up to 50 people on the ice and in the stands.
Teams may also continue to run summer invite camps up until that date.
“The BCHL’s Return to Play Task Force feels that the extended training camp model will
give our players an opportunity to stay engaged and continue to develop their game in a
safe environment,” said BCHL Executive Director Steven Cocker. “Our teams will be
providing on-ice and off-ice training resources to continue aiding players to achieve their
hockey and education goals and to make sure they are ready to go when the season
starts.”
The extended training camps will strictly follow the COVID-19 guidelines set out by
viaSport BC.
BCHL venues are also preparing for protocols to be enforced once the buildings are
open to fans again.
Once exhibition competition resumes, it will be streamed live on HockeyTV and live-
scored on the BCHL website. Inter-division competition will be held within regions
throughout the BCHL.
