How the Ontario Lockdown Affects the Toronto Maple Leafs and the NHL

COVID-19 has forced the provincial government to impose restrictions. Find out how the upcoming lockdown will affect the NHL and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

All hockey fans want to see the return of NHL action. It will be great to see the style and finesse of the updated Toronto Maple Leafs roster. There’s nothing like live hockey action. Unfortunately, in my opinion, those games shouldn’t take place in Ontario.

On Monday, Premier Doug Ford announced that there will be a strict province-wide lockdown beginning on Dec. 26. These measures were originally expected to begin on Dec. 24 but they were pushed back two days by the cabinet. The lockdown will last 28 days for everywhere south of Sudbury, Ont. For the northern areas of the province, the lockdown will last an expected 14 days.

This lockdown will mean that all non-essential businesses will be forced to close. Unfortunately, while the Toronto Maple Leafs provide joy (and often heartbreak) they aren’t an essential business.

Toronto Maple Leafs and the Lockdown

The non-essential retail stores in the province will be allowed to operate as a curbside service only. Hardware and pet stores will be forced to make the switch as well. For grocery stores and big-box retailers that sell groceries, they will be limiting customers to shopping in-person. Supermarkets and pharmacies will operate at 50 per cent capacity while discount and big box retailers selling groceries will be limited to 25 per cent.

In his Monday press conference from Queen’s Park, Ford was adamant that the actions he’s taking are in the interest of public health. It’s why he has urged Ontarians not to gather for the holidays or visit other people’s homes. This isn’t good news for the NHL who would require large gatherings of players and operations staff in order to play the games according to the league’s expected timeline.

The NHL season set to begin on Jan. 13. in order to play Maple Leafs games in the city, it would mean that an exemption would need to be made for the NHL by the provincial government because Toronto would still be in a lockdown at that time.

If one was to listen to the Premier’s words during his press conference they wouldn’t be encouraged by the prospect of him granting the NHL an exemption. In response to a question about travel Ford explained, “The only people, in my opinion, who should be exempted are truck drivers, health care workers, emergency service workers.” He went on to say, “There shouldn’t be an exemption. We have to tighten up the borders. It’s as simple as that.”

The fear is that travel could bring infection into Ontario. If there is a Canadian-division in the NHL this season, it would likely mean that players are moving between provinces to play their games. If everyone involved in NHL operations aren’t forced to remain in a bubble, it could mean that someone involved with one of the teams could become infected and bring the virus to Ontario for a Leafs or an Ottawa Senators game.

The lockdown is deemed necessary by the government who has relied on modeling which indicates that by the new year, intensive care units (ICU) in the province’s hospitals will exceed 300 COVID-19 patients. Having this lockdown and stopping non-essential gatherings such as the playing of a Leafs game could help prevent ICUs hitting 1,500 patients by mid-January, the model’s worst-case scenario.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, Senators, and NHL aren’t the only hockey teams who have had to sacrifice as a result of health measures during this pandemic. Minor hockey in Ontario has been hit hard as well. The Return to Hockey Framework created by the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) is directly informed by the decisions made by the provincial government. As a result of the OHF safety measures, the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) didn’t permit any teams and organizations to return to on or off ice activities until Dec. 4.

On Jan. 4, 2021, the GTHL board will meet to determine if the league will be able to operate this winter or if the 2020-21 season will be canceled. Based on the measures in place on that date, children may learn that they will not get the chance to compete on their club teams this year.

Sadly, while it’s unsafe for hockey to be played in Ontario the NHL should look for alternative plans to start their season. If Ford is going to keep his pledge to keep residents safe, then the NHL won’t be receiving an exemption.

Circumstances Could Have Been Different

The debate on whether the NHL should be allowed to set up shop could have been avoided if the province had made better decisions throughout the pandemic. In a 231-page report by Ontario’s Auditor, Bonnie Lysyk, the mismanagement of the government’s response to the Covid-19 crisis was detailed. Lysyk explained that the decisions made weren’t informed by experts in the field. She also explained, “we found systemic issues and delays in decision-making.”

Perhaps, if Ford had listened to epidemiologists and made the difficult decisions based on expert recommendations, the NHL would be looking at returning to Toronto in a big way. If that were the case, surely the public would be loudly in support of such actions.

There are options for the NHL. Since there won’t be fans in the stands generating gate revenue for any Canadian teams, there isn’t a need for the Maple Leafs to play their home games at Scotiabank Arena. They could instead play in a different province or even south of the border.

If the NHL wants to have an all-Canadian division, they can set the players up in a city that has multiple NHL sized ice surfaces. This city could be located in a province that isn’t on lockdown. Housing multiple teams all in one place would also reduce travel costs and the risk involved with interprovincial movement. Then, in June, the Canadian teams can relocate to America to play the Semi-Finals.

No matter what happens in the return of Toronto Maple Leafs hockey, it’s important that public safety is at the forefront of all plans. Playing for the Stanley Cup comes at a cost but it shouldn’t be a human one. Hopefully, Ontario quickly becomes a safe place to resume NHL hockey.