The NHL and NHLPA have released a long list of Inclusion and Anti-Racism Efforts, including a partnership with the Hockey Diversity Alliance to establish and administer a grassroots hockey development program for BIPOC boys and girls in the Greater Toronto Area. There will be a similar pilot program in the United States, announced at a later date. NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr released this statement:
Everyone should be able to live and work in an environment that is inclusive, and one that is free from racism and discrimination in any form. In our sport, from the NHL to youth programs, we must take actions to achieve that goal, and to make our sport available and accessible to all.
Three committees have also been formed to develop “action-oriented solutions that positively impact the access, opportunity, and experiences that underrepresented groups have in the game–and in the business–of hockey.” The Player Inclusion Committee will be co-chaired by former NHL player Anson Carter and current NHL defenseman P.K. Subban, while the Fan Inclusion Committee and Youth Hockey Inclusion Committee have also been announced today.
- The QMJHL has released its schedule for the 2020-21 regular season, with things kicking off on October 2. It will be region-based and played almost exclusively on weekends (Fri-Sun), finishing on April 3, 2021. This is an encouraging announcement for those junior players in the league, looking to continue their development and build up their draft stock, and an ambitious model for other leagues to examine. The WHL and OHL, the other two leagues that make up the CHL, have both delayed their starts until December at the earliest.
- Though the conference finals were set to be held in Edmonton’s bubble, that may not necessarily be the case in the east. Should the New York Islanders finish off the Philadelphia Flyers tonight, their first game against the Tampa Bay Lightning will likely be held in Toronto according to John Shannon. On Monday, Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper explained on TSN radio that he still didn’t know where the team would be playing and suggested that they could play “a game or two” in Toronto before heading west.