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By Mat Barrett

COVID-19 and the SJHL

‘I just don’t make any sense of it’: Hawks, Mustangs react to SJHL season ending

Mar 23, 2021 | 3:34 PM

The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) announced on Tuesday the league would not be able to go ahead with the remainder of their season as the Saskatchewan government and Sask. Health Authority rejected proposals to play.

The proposal included a hub scenario that would take place in Weyburn with some of the SJHL’s member clubs.

“Disappointment, and I definitely feel for the players,” said Melfort Mustangs head coach and general manager Trevor Blevins. “They really wanted to play.”

There had been lengthy talks between the SJHL’s coach’s committee in place to help with a return to play, and the provincial bodies involved, but according to head coach and general manager of the Nipawin Hawks Doug Johnson, the news the season would not go ahead, wasn’t surprising.

“Everything we’ve done with the government has been a disaster,” Johnson told northeastNOW. “And there wasn’t a lot of help from their end and it didn’t seem like they ever really wanted us to go to begin with.”

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While the Western Hockey League (WHL) was approved to start play in early March, the SJHL proposal was very similar to the WHL’s, however, the SJHL isn’t able to go.

“We were told that it was a very similar proposal to what the WHL had proposed,” Blevins said.

“We get a no, and the WHL gets a yes, I just don’t make any sense of it.” _{-Trevor Blevins}

Johnson said part of the reasoning for the rejection of the proposal was due to the rising cases in Regina, and the variant cases that are present, but he said the numbers are similar to what was seen in Saskatchewan when the WHL was approved.

He added there’s lots of frustration as well because leagues like the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), and British Columbia Junior Hockey League (BCHL) are going ahead with similar protocols to what the SJHL had back in November.

Players had also been preparing to play at any given moment. Some players had been in quarantine for over three weeks as they awaited news on a season, now they won’t get to step on the ice for their club.

Johnson said it’s tough on the players as they’ve now had two seasons affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“You hear kids cry enough times, it’s pretty rough, and you see kids quitting hockey because of this and giving up opportunities because they’re just tired of all of it,” he said. “It’s disappointing and that’s all on the government’s shoulders.”

“Hopefully [the government] feels good about themselves, because I wouldn’t if I was in their shoes,” _{-Doug Johnson.}

He added two of his graduating players have quit as a result.

Both coaches gave credit to the committee of coaches working to get a return to play, the players, the league, and the group preparing to host the hub in Weyburn.

Both are also now working to make sure those graduating players that want to play next year are able to, as well as getting players prepared for the 2021/2022 season that they hope is back to a normal season.

The Mustangs had played five games in November prior to the pause, while the Hawks played six.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6