ArchiveBCHL playoffs

CJHL and Hockey Canada announces cancellation of the remainder of 2019-20 season

Brian Wiebe

There will be no national junior A champion crowned in 2020. For the first time in history, and because of the coronavirus pandemic, Hockey Canada and the Canadian Junior Hockey League have cancelled the remainder of the season.

There will also be no winner of the Fred Page Cup BCHL championship. The second round of the BCHL playoffs was set to begin on Friday night with four games on tap.

If the coronavirus situation improves, it won’t change the outcome as it relates to any teams, leagues or associations governed by Hockey Canada. The organization states that the 2019-20 season will not be restarted.

One of the biggest impacts the decision might have is on recruiting because the cancellation includes tryouts and camps. The Nanaimo Clippers, Victoria Grizzlies, and Coquitlam Express are among the teams that had tryouts in February for U16 and U18 players to play in the BC Spring Hockey League. Although the tryouts have already happened, the Spring League itself is sanctioned by Hockey Canada and as such, is cancelled.

Most other BCHL teams had full-on spring camps scheduled for late March and into April and May. Today’s announcement indicates that those are cancelled too.

Brian Wiebe

Brian's been involved in the BCHL in a variety of capacities for 17 years. From 2002 to 2012, he served in several roles around the Merritt Centennials organization, including as team president, board member, beat writer, colour commentator, webmaster, media and communications coordinator and marketing assistant. He's been writing about the BCHL since 2008 and served as colour commentator on the TSN 1040 broadcasts in 2012-13. BCHLNetwork is one of Brian's many passion projects that he balances around his full-time job as an instructor in the Radio Arts and Entertainment Program at BCIT in Burnaby.