The Day The Arenas Went Quiet

The last 24 hours have been, well, difficult.

For many, frightening in the wake of endless coronavirus news.

To be clear, these are precautions being taken. Some may say drastic, but it is the health and safety of millions of people being considered.

The game of hockey, and the passion people feel for the game in Canada will survive.

Hockey Canada halting all action hours after the National Hockey League suspended operations was a hit for fans, families, and athletes.

Locally, the OMHA, Alliance, and OWHA playoffs, along with the PJHL, GOJHL, and OHL schedules being cancelled was a lot to take in.

For some, it means the end of a hockey career. A Junior or Minor hockey career ended prematurely. The hunt for a championship done.

The arenas have gone quiet, but the game is always bigger than a season, even if it was your last on the ice. Perhaps your next will be behind the bench, or in the stands watching your child play.

When games and teams have brought us together, we’re now being asked to socially distance ourselves from others, farther than we already have due to technology and ‘social’ media.

Our guess is, you’ll still see a few siblings playing road hockey in their driveway. Thousands of young kids will go to sleep dreaming of the game they love. And yeah, maybe for a few weeks we can lay off those teenagers about playing that NHL video game for hours on end.

When one season ends, another begins. There is nothing like walking into a quiet arena, seeing and smelling a fresh sheet of ice.

When this virus ends, or slows to a point where we can safely gather, and play again, the ice will be waiting.