That Makes A Dozen

As we know, the pandemic has wrecked a number of hockey seasons for leagues across the world. Whether it be players opting out, teams opting out, or entire leagues sitting this winter out, hockey has barely been a blip on the radar this winter. Professional teams and leagues are slowly trying to piece together schedules and ideas on how to make a season work while the junior and college ranks have tried, aren't trying, or simply trying their best to play any sort of meaningful games. One of those leagues is the ECHL and they're trying their best, but another team has decided to sit this out as the total number of ECHL teams sitting out hits a dozen.

The logo above likely gave it away, but the Toledo Walleye announced yesterday that they were choosing to opt out for the abbreviated 2020-21 ECHL season as part of the ECHL's COVID-19 Voluntary Suspension options. Toledo joins Adirondack, Atlanta, Brampton, Cincinnati, Idaho, Kalamazoo, Maine, Newfoundland, Norfolk, Reading, and Worcester as the teams choosing to sit out this season, leaving the ECHL with fourteen teams still hoping to find a way to crown a Kelly Cup champion.

Jon Napoli, President and CEO of the Walleye, stated,

"We are grateful to the member teams of the ECHL who gave us the opportunity to push the start of our season to February. We had hoped the extra time would be enough for the vaccine distribution to begin to take hold and to loosen the COVID-19 attendance restriction for indoor arenas to the point where we could safely play a significant portion of the 2020-21 season in front of fans. Unlike Major League sports that enjoy the benefit of national and international TV and streaming media rights contracts, the Walleye's financial stability is dependent upon attendance and the generosity of local sponsors. After much discussion, we have decided to turn our focus to a safe, healthy and successful 2021-22 season. We are heartbroken for our fans, our players, our employees and the downtown Toledo neighborhood that depends upon the success of the Walleye."

Like a number of other ECHL teams, the costs outweigh the benefits in playing this shortened season in front of few, if any, fans, so the Walleye made the decision to take a break and get after it again next season when it would financially make more sense. I don't fault any of the ECHL teams for doing this, but it's hard for me to suggest that a champion be crowned when nearly half of the league isn't playing in 2020-21.

The problem with waiting this long is that players who expected to be playing in Toledo this season now become free agents. As stated above, the ECHL season has already started so these players will need to relocate if they hope to play on one of the remaining fourteen teams, and, assuming they are signed by other teams, those players will bump players currently on roster off those rosters. This upheaval at this stage of the season is a bit of a mess, but the ECHL trying to award a championship when half the teams aren't playing also seems like a mess.

Again, I hope everyone who is playing remains safe and healthy throughout the season. For players who don't play this season, that holds true for them too, but let's hope they return for hockey next season. The Walleye are a strong and proud franchise, and they always find character players who represent the franchise proudly.

For now, though, I guess the Walleye can do a little ice fishing this winter if they need a new activity.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!