Toronto to host Halifax with no fans due to provincial restrictions
Photo: Christian Bender/NLL
The Toronto Rock are prepared to play their January 15th home date against the Halifax Thunderbirds with no fans in attendance at FirstOntario Centre after this week’s increased indoor gathering restrictions mandated by the Government of Ontario.
The NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and NBA’s Toronto Raptors have both gone fan-less for at least the next three weeks due to the same strict restrictions put in place by the province.
The NLL team’s release stated, “The Toronto Rock announced today that the team plans to play its Saturday, January 15 home game against the Halifax Thunderbirds without fans in attendance at Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre, pending final approval from local officials. This is a result of recent provincial guidelines returning Ontario to a modified Stage 2 of reopening.
“The team has also shifted Indigenous Heritage Night and their Charity Night fundraising events to Saturday, April 16 when the Rock again will face Halifax.”
The Thunderbirds, who last played on December 10th, had their Week 5 game postponed due to pandemic-related concerns and were forced to move their Week 6 home date against the New York Riptide due to indoor gathering limitations put in place by the province of Nova Scotia.
Today, the team tweeted an additional update regarding their January 22nd home game against the Buffalo Bandits. The social media statement reads, “With today’s extension of current restrictions in Atlantic Canada, we will provide fans with an update for our January 22 home game vs Buffalo, as information become available. We appreciate your patience and understanding.”
Earlier this week, the league confirmed that all still-scheduled Week 6 contests would be played. Their statement issued to media and fans said, “We have been in daily contact with our players, team officials, health authorities, and building operators, and we fully expect to return to play this weekend.”
Over the past week, some players that had previously been placed in protocol – Jeff Teat, Mitch Wilde, Corey Small and Alex Crepinsek – have met the requirements to be moved back to their team’s active roster.
With the addition of Saskatchewan Rush rookie Connor McClelland to the league’s COVID-19 protocol list, the tally of players presently in protocol officially sits at five: Cory Highfield (Dec. 12), Tom Schreiber (Dec. 18), Carter McKenzie (Dec. 27), Cory Vitarelli (Jan. 3) and McClelland.
Due to player confidentiality and privacy, the league or its teams do not disclose the specifics about why an individual is in COVID-19 protocol.