The Rayside Balfour Canadians are excited at the prospect of getting back out on the ice come September, but the team isn’t rushing to sell tickets just yet.
That’s because the team doesn’t want to jump the gun without knowing what the new season will look like, said Blaine Smith, the team’s managing director in an email to Sudbury.com.
“It is our goal to ensure that we are able to have everything in place in time for our home opener in September,” Smith said. “At this point in time, the province, health units, the Ontario Hockey Federation and the City of Greater Sudbury remain uncertain as to what the return-to-the-arenas will look like in September.”
Smith said several outstanding questions remain, including:
- What will the arenas and teams be doing to ensure the proper sanitization of the seating area, washrooms and team dressing room?
- What percentage of seats (arena capacity) will be permitted?
- Will social distancing be required?
- Will facemasks remain a requirement in public facilities?
- What are the entrance requirements for fans? Such as proof of double-vaccination?
- Will there be food and beverage restrictions?
- Will there be suite usage restrictions?
“The health and safety of our players, our fans and our team and arena staff remain our No. 1 priority,” Smith said. “We will not jeopardize anyone’s health and safety by jumping-the-queue and advertising a pre-pandemic-like season – without knowing all of the facts and restrictions that will be in place.”
Smith said until the Canadians can answer the above questions, “we will not be selling any season tickets or game tickets. In our view, it is not fair to sell tickets for any event until we are able to provide full disclosure as to what the actual games and the hockey season will look like.”
For more information on the Rayside Balfour Canadians or the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, click here.
