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Victoria Royals, WHL halt play for now due to coronavirus

Victoria Royals general manager Cam Hope said the suspension of the Western Hockey League season was a difficult but necessary decision. “It’s a global situation and everyone has to assume their role,” said Hope.
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The Victoria Royals and Vancouver Giants play in WHL action at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre on Feb. 29. The WHL has suspended its season.

Victoria Royals general manager Cam Hope said the suspension of the Western Hockey League season was a difficult but necessary decision.

“It’s a global situation and everyone has to assume their role,” said Hope.

“We know what the risks are of under-reacting. The position of the league is a smart one.”

Following the lead of major pro leagues, the major-junior WHL will not play games until further notice, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Royals had four scheduled games remaining in the regular season, tonight and Saturday against the Prince George Cougars at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, and a home-and-away set next weekend against the Everett Silvertips. All of those games are off for now.

“The players are disappointed, obviously,” said Hope.

“But they understand the situation. They know we are in a holding pattern. We’ll see how things are in a week or two. We will know more over the next week. The COVID-19 situation is on-going. We’ll have a better idea next week what the timelines are.”

The regular season is unlikely to be completed. There is speculation that if and when the league resumes, it is likely to go right into the post-season. The Royals have clinched a playoff berth.

“This is all still fresh. It’s too soon to tell what will happen,” said Hope.

“It reminds me of the aftermath of 9/11,” said the former assistant GM of the New York Rangers of the NHL.

“I was in New York at the time and training camp was underway. The key, then as now, is in knowing what is your role. Our role right now is to follow the instructions of the people who make the decisions. The risk is low here but we play in four provinces and two U.S. states.”

One of those states, Washington, has become an epicentre of the pandemic in the U.S. Even if games had gone ahead, it was previously announced that the Royals’ scheduled game next week in Everett, Washington, would have been played without fans attending.

There are two components to COVID-19 as it relates to sporting events. One concerns the players themselves, who are in close proximity in dressing rooms and buses.

“I am not aware of any infections in the WHL,” said Hope.

The other is about the crowds that gather for sporting events. It is ironic that sport’s greatest attribute — its ability to bring people together — is its greatest detriment in terms of COVID-19.

“The Royals have played [nearly 350] home games [since 2011-12] and each one of those has been the largest gathering on Vancouver Island that day,” noted Hope.

“We [look forward] to getting back to that.”

All three major-junior Canadian Hockey League circuits — WHL Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior League — have shut down for the time being.

“The WHL takes the safety of our players, officials, staff, fans, and everyone associated with the WHL, very seriously,” said WHL commissioner Ron Robison, in a statement.

“We will continue to monitor on-going public health developments regarding COVID-19. Our goal is to return to play when it is safe and reasonable to do so.”

Robison said he thanked fans for their “patience and understanding as we navigate this unprecedented time.”

The Tokyo Olympics this summer could be salvaged because of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the luxury of time.

In a head-snapping spin over the past two days, it has suddenly become more about the very immediate in sports.

That’s because experts are noting that where aggressive, even harsh, social-distancing measures were taken early, the pandemic has flattened in places such as China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Italy is being used as an example of a country that did not act quickly or robustly enough. Health experts say this is the inflection point in North America with the next four to eight weeks the key to abatement.

A big part of that will be the curtailment of sports in that period.

B.C. HOCKEY LEAGUE: The highly-anticipated Island Division playoff final between the Nanaimo Clippers and Cowichan Valley Capitals was scheduled to start tonight in the Habour City, but has been postponed, along with the rest of the BCHL post-season, until further notice.

“The Clippers support the decision by Hockey Canada and the BCHL to suspend the playoffs due to the current COVID-19 outbreak,” said Nanaimo GM Tali Campbell, in a statement.

“Although this is super disappointing and frustrating to our staff, players, and supporters, we understand the seriousness and need to take all steps.”

PACIFIC FC: The Canadian Premier League of soccer, which includes Island-based Pacific FC, said it is monitoring the situation.

“It is important to note that the CPL’s season does not start until April 11th and we are not playing in public venues at this time,” said the league, in a statement.

“We will maintain our consistent dialogue and as more information becomes available, we will continue to provide public updates. This includes details about potentially rescheduling or postponing matches.”

PFC’s season opener is scheduled for April 11 against FC Edmonton at Westhills Stadium in Langford.

VICTORIA SHAMROCKS: The Victoria Shamrocks, who are scheduled to open May 22 against the Burnaby Lakers at The Q Centre, have quite a while before their Western Lacrosse Association season starts.

“We are monitoring developments at this point,” said Shamrocks GM Chris Welch.

The WLA governors are expected to address the issue at their meetings this week.

VICTORIA HARBOURCATS: The H-Cats are set to open their West Coast League baseball season June 5 at Royal Athletic Park against the Ridgefield Raptors of Washington State.

“We’re just under three months away. This is early for us, yet,” said Jim Swanson, GM and managing partner of the H-Cats.

“So we are in no position to make any decisions like that.”

The WCL’s source of players for summer ball – university and college -- have now been shut down by the NCAA. They will be antsy and could be rarin’ to go by summer.

CURLING: The Victoria Curling Club has cancelled play for the balance of the season. The upcoming B.C. U-18 championships in Parksville and B.C. mixed in Abbotsford are also off.

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS: An update on the Canada-Trinidad men’s soccer games March 27 and 31 at Westhills Stadium is expected today from Canada Soccer.

The situations are being monitored, but preparations continue, for the women’s rugby Canada Sevens on May 2-3 at Westhills Stadium and the men’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic basketball qualifying tournament June 23-28 at the Memorial Centre.

cdheensaw@timescolonist.com