Nipawin Hawks Head Coach Doug Johnson (centre) called the Nov. 25 COVID-19 restrictions in Saskatchewan a double standard. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff)

By Aaron Schulze

Hawks Restrictions

‘We did nothing wrong’: Hawks call ‘double standard’ in new COVID-19 restrictions

Nov 26, 2020 | 1:58 PM

The Nipawin Hawks knew an announcement regarding new provincial COVID-19 restrictions would come from the Government of Saskatchewan following their last practice.

When Head Coach Doug Johnson got off the ice shortly before the 3 p.m. announcement on Wednesday, Nov. 25, his phone “blew up” and he had missed a call from Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) President Bill Chow. Johnson called back and asked Chow if they were “screwed,” and he learned the SJHL, and all competitive hockey in Saskatchewan, was on pause until at least Dec. 17, thus delaying the 2020-21 SJHL season until the new year.

Despite having already faced a hockey shutdown in March when the coronavirus pandemic hit Saskatchewan, Johnson said breaking the news to his players again was harder than the first time.

“In March we didn’t know… everything was uncertain,” Johnson told northeastNOW. “Right now, with all the restrictions in place and protocols we followed, we were told we did nothing wrong. There’s not one case from hockey transmission within the SJHL. We have our guys following all the protocols, basically putting their social life on hold, just to get through this and make it work, and we get shut down even when we’ve done everything right. Yet, other things are able to stay open.”

According to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), the province’s top community transmission venue is recreational facilities, which includes bingo halls, casinos, and ice rinks. Because casinos, bars, and restaurants can stay open – albeit with reduced capacity – while hockey is on pause, Johnson said their sport and ice rinks aren’t really in the same category.

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“It’s a double standard, 100 per cent,” he said. “It has nothing to do with us not taking COVID-19 serious. We have 27 guys for three months and there’s not been one case within our locker room. Within the league, 12 teams, there’s been one case. We’ve done things right and proven it can work, but we’re getting throttled right now.

“Government makes money off their bars and casinos, the liquor and gambling. They’re not making a ton of money off the SJHL or hockey. Yet, our communities… the Nipawin Hawks bring in roughly $1.5 to $1.8 million into Nipawin and that’s on hold right now. The mental health of our young people… the outing, just a little sense of normalcy for our fans… the pride that the players’ parents can have watching their kids play and do what they love. We’re not lumped in the same.”

To Johnson’s knowledge, the SJHL or other competitive forms of hockey in Saskatchewan weren’t given the same opportunity at operating with a maximum of 30 spectators that other performance and gaming venues kept amidst the new restrictions. He added the SJHL wasn’t given reasoning from the provincial government on why they were shut down if they didn’t do anything wrong. He acknowledged his team would likely have to change its model – such as a “pay to play” format – but said the Hawks wouldn’t have had issues playing in front of 30 fans or no one at all.

“Safety was never brought up from anyone within our organization,” Johnson said on if there were any concerns during the SJHL’s resumption of play. “There was not one player that didn’t report because they didn’t feel safe and there was not one volunteer that wasn’t doing this because they felt compromised. There wasn’t a staff member that opted out. My biggest concern as far as safety is getting hit by a puck when I’m standing on the bench… it wasn’t getting COVID-19 from one of the players. My daughter goes to school day in and day out. That’s probably a bigger transmission than the hockey rink.”

January 2021 is the earliest the SJHL can resume play, but Johnson hopes they’ll receive certainty and guidance from the provincial government and SHA.

“There are a lot of hoops to go through right now logistically; questions we need answered. We don’t get to make those decisions. Until they open up and are forthcoming with us, we’re put on hold. Hopefully information comes sooner rather than later,” he said.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow