By REJEAN CANTLON
It’s a popular expression within the road hockey crowd. For those who do not happen to know people who play Canada’s national winter sport on the street, “GAME ON” is a common term used during a game that has been interrupted to signal it is time to continue. “GAME ON” is often preceded by the term “CAR”.
Isaac Brown, a 11-year-old Long Branch road hockey expert explains it this way. “It’s easy. You yell “CAR”, then you move the nets and get out of the way. When the car passes, you yell, “GAME ON” to let everyone know it’s time to come back and play.”
For many South Etobicoke hockey players, “GAME ON” is something that they have been longing to hear since their season was prematurely cancelled early this year due to the outbreak of COVID-19. On September 1 the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) announced their return to play Game Plan that outlines timelines, protocols and procedures for the up-coming 2020-21 ice hockey season.
In the GTHL’s online document there are five periods or steps to their return to play Game Plan. It is not until the final step where minor hockey will look somewhat the same as it did last season, pre-COVID. That final step is being referred to as “Overtime” which is set for no earlier than December 1, 2020, although there is no guarantee that will happen by then.
The Game Plan started early last month with step 1, the “Warm-up” where parents could register their children to play with reduced players on the ice surface amongst other social distancing protocols.
The next step has been coined the “1st Period”. This is where team selection/grouping of players will start, yet they will still be not be competing with other teams. Then “2nd Period” will advance on October 7th to have teams playing against other teams 3-on-3 or 4-on-4. This will include local house-league clubs like Mimico, Faustina and Humber Valley. The “3rd Period” is scheduled to see an increase to 5-on-5 play.
Throughout all of these first 4 steps the GTHL’s plan discourages spectators from cheering or yelling during play. In addition, the number of people allowed to watch these young athletes will be restricted by the province’s Reopening Ontario Act. Finally, the last step, the “Overtime” period is billed to see hockey “return to normal” with inter-branch play and no spectator restrictions.
The GTHL admits that “hockey is going to look different in the next few months” and that the process will “provide a unique opportunity to focus on many of the positive things that hockey can do for our community.” Young Isaac is certainly looking forward to yelling “GAME ON” on the ice with his friends and team-mates on the Reps AAA Elite Hockey Club as soon as possible.