When the Prince George Cougars take the ice on March 26, 2021, the date set for the shortened COVID-approved WHL season in the B.C. Division, it will mark 384 days since they’ve played a competitive game.
On March 7 last year, the Cats completed a three-game winning streak by beating the Vancouver Giants 4-3 in overtime at the CN Centre to close out their 2019-20 home schedule.
Days later, the team hit the road for its final six games, but turned around and came back to Prince George with the season’s official cancellation on March 18.
Now, with the provincial health office’s approval, all the feels are slowly coming back to the organization, says Cougars Vice-President of Business Andy Beesley.
“Overall, we’re elated that we finally have a firm focus and goal to work towards, but, you know, we’re also nervous about the details and we’re anxious to make sure that we do this properly. Every other feeling that you can imagine, but overall, we’re feeling great right now,” he told PrinceGeorgeMatters in an interview today (March 3).
“These are high-performance athletes that are used to being laser-focused with goals and routine and structure in their lives. It’s been so difficult for them, so at the end of the day, we’re just so relieved to see them back on the ice. Every game is going to be like a playoff game. Every player on the Prince George Cougars, as well as every other team, is going to be very focused on winning.”
Let’s go! https://t.co/4r5ZJse4VE
— Majid Kaddoura (@KaddouraMajid) March 2, 2021
Some of the key details in the return-to-play plan are as follows:
- Dual hub-cities of Kamloops and Kelowna
- Prince George to be housed in Kamloops with Blazers and Vancouver Giants
- Kelowna to host Rockets and Victoria Royals
- Travel allowed between arenas when playing other clubs, but no stops
- 24 games, only against divisional teams and no playoffs
- No fans in the arenas
- Weekly COVID-19 testing
- One positive test shuts a team down for two weeks (14-day quarantine)
- Players to wear masks when not on the ice
- Coaches to wear masks at all times, even on the bench
Beesley explained, when it came to the finalization of the 65-page plan, which was revised too many times to keep track, he believes the ‘double-bubble’ format led officials to understanding the league’s approach to safe play in limiting exposures and interaction between clubs.
“What caused the decision to play in two arenas instead of one was, number one, they’re nice and close to each other, and secondly, it actually helps to keep the players not as condensed together,” he said.
For comparison, the WHL’s seven-team East Division is using Regina as a hub city, while the Central and U.S. Divisions are allowing travel between communities.
“So, instead of all five teams crowded into one arena, it spreads them out a bit. And the other thing is, from a scheduling point-of-view, it means that we can have two games at the same time on any given night, so it allows us to play more games in a shorter period of time. [...] The amount of work that’s gone into this behind the scenes has been profound and we’ve been involved with it every step of the way.”
From team management and ownership to coaching and front-office staff, the Cougars have stressed since the start of COVID-19 that safety is always at the forefront of conversations.
General Manager and Head Coach Mark Lamb has even said 24 games is enough to get players motivated in hopes of a promotion in hockey, so long as it can be conducted safely and effectively.
With regards to starting in late March, Beesley simply said it’s ‘better than the alternative, which would be nothing.’
“It’s been difficult, it’s been tough [...] yes, it’s far shorter than what we would normally play and certainly not ideal on any level, but in light of the situation, I think we’re super happy about it and content that that’s what we get this year,” he added.
“As a league, as a division especially, we’ve taken the stance of saying that what we’re going to do needs to put COVID-19 first and the safety pans first. The last thing we want to do is put any risk of any strain whatsoever on the public health authorities. We don’t want to put the cities of Kamloops and Kelowna at any additional risk, we don’t want this to cost the taxpayers any extra money, so I think we’ve come up with the gold standard of testing.”
WHL owners, out of their own pockets, hired DynaLIFE Medical Labs to conduct virus testing. The private company also worked the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and the 2021 World Junior Hockey Championships in Edmonton.
“With our extensive protocols and the necessary approvals now in place, we are looking forward to play beginning in the Kamloops and Kelowna Hubs,” said Commissioner Ron Robison in a statement on Tuesday (March 2).
“We are excited to now have all four WHL Divisions returning to play as it was our objective from the onset to deliver a season for all of our players.”
As much as the league is excited to return, the format may pose a challenge for fans.
The Cougars and WHL are hoping to mitigate empty arenas in a number of ways, which includes online broadcasts and tons of social media engagement.
Admitting viewership will look different this year under the circumstances, Beesley is confident fans can be just as passionate about the team despite competing more than 500 km away.
He cites the uniqueness of the rivalries is what separates the B.C. Division from others, which transcends to the pride Prince George residents have for their city.
“Up here in the north, we’re pretty proud of Prince George, but we also feel that we’re a little bit looked down upon from other communities. I think it’s extra sweet when you’ve get a team like the Rockets, the Blazers or the Giants coming in and when we play them, I think everyone feels not just proud of the Prince George Cougars and wanting to win, but as a whole community saying ‘Hey, we’re Prince George and we’re okay and we don’t look down upon ourselves at all!’ It’s kind of sweet to beat those other cities that think pretty highly of themselves.”
Prince George’s next steps will be to contact players and bring them up to speed.
Starting Saturday (March 6), they’ll self-quarantine themselves in their homes before finding their own way to Kamloops by March 13, where they’ll be put up in a hotel, undergo a COVID-19 test and complete a second isolation period.
In its latest released player-screening figures, held prior to the start of Central Division play in Alberta, the WHL said it administered 481 tests for COVID-19 from Feb. 6 to 26 with no positive results.
A B.C. Division schedule is expected to be released in the coming days.
In Interior Health, the jurisdiction the Cougars will be playing in, there have been 7,443 lab-confirmed COVID-19 infections, including 104 deaths and 6,915 recoveries as of this publication.
