The Nipawin Hawks salute their home crowd at Centennial Arena in a pre-pandemic world. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff)

By Aaron Schulze

Hawks AGM/SJHL Restart

Hawks AGM highlights uncertainty and safety hurdles ahead of potential SJHL season

Sep 23, 2020 | 10:32 AM

The 2020-21 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) season’s tentative start date is Oct. 16.

In less than a month, the puck is supposed to be dropped for the SJHL season, but the Nipawin Hawks’ annual general meeting (AGM) on Sept. 22 showed how much uncertainty there is for teams in a short amount of time.

The Hawks do not have a 2020-21 budget finalized. Scott Anderson, Hawks vice president, said it’s because they don’t know when the season will start or how many fans will be permitted amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’ve had three league meetings and all the information we have to submit is going to Bill Chow, the president of the [SJHL], and then Bill submits it to [the Saskatchewan Health Authority],” Anderson said. “[Saskatchewan Hockey Association] is involved in the final decision as well. There are three or four different parties that all have to agree.”

The Hawks expect attendance restrictions – including mask use, every second row being blocked off, and fans only sitting with members of their respective households with two seats separating each household – to be enforced if a resumption of play occurs.

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Anderson said the Hawks are looking to fill Centennial Arena at 50 per cent capacity – approximately 600 fans – in order to be financially viable in a full, 58-game SJHL season. However, with provincial health regulations in place, he said it’ll be difficult to fill Centennial Arena at 50 per cent and still have fans socially distance.

“If this doesn’t work for us… there’s a lot at stake,” Anderson said. “We’re one of the first things to go in Saskatchewan sports wise. When [fans] come into the rink, there will probably be rules posted. We’re asking people to try and socially distance. They want people to limit their time at the lobby, 50/50 sales will look a little different… we’ll have announcements over the public address system.

“We hope people can respect the rules as much as they can.”

Hawks financial statements: strong 2018-19, expecting a challenging 2019-20

Good news out of their AGM was the Hawks’ 2018-19 financial statement.

The Hawks saw a surplus of just under $50,000 in 2018-19. Despite being eliminated in the first round of the 2019 SJHL Playoffs, the Hawks made over $3,000 more in revenue over expenses compared to 2017-18 where they won the Canalta Cup as SJHL champions and played the Manitoba champions in the Anavet Cup. The Hawks were left with over $150,000 in net assets as of May 31, 2019.

“We had some successful fundraisers,” Anderson said. “Our farming project brought in over $100,000, we had a successful fishing tournament, and the hockey auction is constantly raising money. It was a positive year for us. The year coming up won’t be as positive either, but we’ll do what we can do.”

The Hawks’ 2019-20 financial statement wasn’t unveiled because it hasn’t been completely audited, but Anderson called it one of the least successful financial seasons they’ve had in some time. The 2020 SJHL Playoffs were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the Hawks set to travel to North Battleford for Game Five of their first round series against the North Stars.

Anderson said 2020-21 likely won’t be as positive either, as the Hawks had to cancel fundraisers such as their fishing tournament and Hawktober Fest. He said the board of directors will continue to look for other fundraising avenues.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow