Ontario's sports minister says no to bodychecking in OHL; it did not go over well

Jackie Spiegel

Ontario's sports minister says no to bodychecking in OHL; it did not go over well image

A day after the Ontario Hockey League announced a new date for the start of its upcoming season, the province's minister of sport, Lisa MacLeod, reiterated that the league needs to eliminate bodychecking and physical contact if it wants to play games.

"Not just in the OHL, not just in hockey in general, but in all sports," MacLeod said Friday. "We're in a very serious game right now and the reality is we have to take those public health precautions."

MacLeod said the decision to ban bodychecking was influenced by the outbreaks in the QMJHL that forced the East and West divisions to shut down until Oct. 28. The Moncton Wildcats also had to shut down. There have also been reports of COVID-19 outbreaks in the United States around hockey games, including a recreational game in Tampa, Fla., in June. Massachusetts shut down rinks until Nov. 7.

"I suspect [the OHL] will have to modify their play until there is a vaccine or at the very least public health clearance that we have contained the spread of COVID-19," said MacLeod.

OHL commissioner David Branch stressed the league will follow the science.

"If there's studies that really, clearly state that body contact is a contributor to the spread of the virus, then obviously we’ll have to look at it," Branch said during an appearance on Sportsnet 590's "Writers Bloc." "But we’ve not looked at it yet."

The modification did not go over well on Twitter as hockey media, former players and fans reacted to the news.

Jackie Spiegel