Chirps from Center Ice

I honest to goodness don’t know what took them so long.

On Monday morning, the American Hockey League officially cancelled the remainder of the 2019-20 regular season and playoffs.

No champion crowned for the first time in League’s existence. What the standings were when they called a pause to the season is what the standings are. Penguins finish sixth, based off of points percentage.

Locally, there is a COVID-19 testing site in the parking lot of the Mohegan Sun Arena where the Penguins play. I lost count of how many other AHL arenas were opening up for either testing sites or hospital beds or the like. Writing on the wall that this season would be done was on up for weeks, it just took them until May 11 to stick a fork in the season, officially.

They can’t play behind closed doors because AHL teams exist on sponsorships and people in seats. That’s problem one.

Problem two is the fact that Pennsylvania (home of three AHL teams) is still under a partial state lock down. You can’t even go to a restaurant or get your hair cut. A sporting event? Pshaw! Even if the League were to restart, playing in front of no one just wouldn’t be feasible.

Problem three is the apprehension of others and most of venturing out in public unless or until there is a vaccine or a green light somewhere that it’s okay to go out in public.

Longer term effects are the 33 million plus people out of work who are struggling to make rent or put food on the table. Going to a Friday game against an opponent that you see 12 times in a season in an arena with 4,000 other humanoids who may or may not be infected with the virus and paying $12 for food and drink per person is likely very, very low on the priority scale.

Which leads to my next point, which is don’t expect the 2020-21 season to start on time. You are, at best, looking at a shortened season which will probably start in December 2020 or even January 2021. You have to remember that the AHL is a feeder league to the NHL and the NHL seems hell bent on restarting their paused season and having playoffs and then opening up around December of 2020. Personally I think it is silly, because, even if you get a best case scenario of a restart of a hockey season in December 2020, you are 18 months out to having a regular 76 game AHL season again which starts in 2021-22. It’s going to happen regardless because I can’t see the AHL starting on time again in October.

Hope I am wrong.

Where it leaves you as a season ticket holder with your team and tickets into the future isn’t for me to tell you. As soon as the news hit the Twitter feed Monday, I saw a number of teams light up across the AHL with questions and answers and what to do if you have invested in this lost season and into 2020-21.

The Penguins have theirs here, with what to do if you are a full season member here. There are also links if you have a 22 game plan and a 12.

Content wise, I have no idea. Season wrap? Big board? Final Power Rankings? Final update to my stats board? Hell, I have all of spring, all summer and probably all of fall to work on all that stuff if I choose.

Stay safe, stay healthy.