The SJHL will begin its regular season Nov. 6. Only 150 people will be allowed in the stands for most teams - but not for the Flin Flon Bombers. Thanks to the team being based in Manitoba, team officials say they've been cleared to play at 25 per cent capacity - around 400 fans.
The Bombers will open their season Saturday night against the Melfort Mustangs with more than double the number of fans other SJHL teams can welcome in.
Working under guidelines issued Oct. 30 by the Saskatchewan Hockey Association (SHA), the SJHL has limited fan attendance at home games to 150 people. Those rules will apply to 11 SJHL teams, all based in Saskatchewan - but since the Bombers play out of the Whitney Forum and are based and operated solely out of Manitoba, the team plans to follow rules relevant to northern Manitoba, where sports venues are currently allowed to operate at 25 per cent fan capacity under provincial health orders.
"Because we fall under Manitoba health, we're able to take that and use that to our advantage," said Bomber president Travis Rideout.
Rideout said the limit of 150 fans would likely mean financial losses for the team, which has already accrued more than $100,000 in debts since playoffs were cancelled earlier this year.
"We've tried to curb our cost to run again as best as we can. We also have to worry about our office and our workers and wages and everything else. Any little thing helps," Rideout said.
In creating a new plan, Bomber staff got busy talking to Manitoba junior hockey officials - Rideout said head coach and general manager Mike Reagan had discussions with MJHL president Kevin Saurette, assistant coach Cole McCaig had observed junior games in OCN and Rideout himself had watched games in Swan River, taking notes on what Manitoba teams were doing.
"What they're doing is allowing each community to set their own standards, but it's still 25 per cent capacity with social distancing," Rideout said.
The rules will not mean a return to a "normal" game night at the Forum.聽All ticket-buyers will be assigned a seat, with numbered tickets for those who have purchased them. Mask use inside the rink will be mandatory and some rows of the Forum's bench seating will be blocked off to ensure a six-foot distance between rows. The rules will be similar to those in place during preseason games at the Forum last month.
"We've still had to cut some of the rows down and masks are still mandatory," Rideout said.
"We are very grateful that the fans are understanding of these changes."
The team held a season ticket drive earlier in the fall, even before the SJHL had a firm starting date. The team sold around 320 season tickets, allowing all season ticket holders to come in for games - unlike other SJHL teams that sold tickets, who have had to rotate which games ticket holders can attend to fit under the league-mandated limit.
"At the end of the day, we want to have 30 or 40 walk-up seats available. At the moment, we can't have travellers here anyway, parents and all that, but when we ease up on northern Manitoba travel restrictions, we want to have walk-up seating for them," Rideout said.
The SJHL announced conditions on the league鈥檚 website Nov. 1, citing rules from the Saskatchewan Hockey Association (SHA) for the decision for Saskatchewan-based teams.
鈥淭he SJHL regular season will start Nov. 6 and the league will continue to comply with SHA guidelines as they did throughout the exhibition schedule, which, for now, will include a maximum of 150 fans in attendance,鈥� reads the statement.
Revised rules were released by the SHA Oct. 30 for all minor, junior and senior hockey games in the province, limiting capacity to 150 people tops as long as fans are able to keep two metres of distance between groups from different households.
鈥淔or senior, junior and minor hockey games鈥� maximum capacity is 150 provided there is enough room to maintain two metres of physical distancing between extended household groups 鈥� side to side and front to back,鈥� read the revised rules, issued Oct. 30.
