Due to Ontario's imminent lockdown, the OHL is once again delaying the start of its 2020-21 season.
The OHL was most recently targeting Feb. 4 for its opening puck drop, with training camps slated to begin in mid-January. Players were scheduled to report to camp in early January.
"This decision follows Premier (Doug) Ford’s announcement of a province-wide shutdown in Ontario commencing on Dec. 26, 2020," OHL commissioner David Branch said in a statement. "The league will continue to consult and work closely with governments and health authorities to determine potential start dates in the new year."
Branch also cited cross-border travel restrictions as a factor in the decision.
In early August, the league pushed the target start date for the season to Dec. 1. In late October, the OHL was reportedly eyeing a 40-game season that would begin in early February.
The lockdown will go into effect on Dec. 26 at 12:01 a.m. ET and last until Jan. 23 for all of southern Ontario. Nearly all non-essential businesses will be ordered shut, and most schools will be closed for in-person learning for over two weeks.
In the lead-up to the 2021 World Junior Championship, we're taking a look back at each of the 18 Canadian teams to capture the gold medal, culminating Dec. 25 with the start of the latest edition of the tournament.
Team Canada needed to get back on track at the 2015 world juniors following back-to-back fourth-place finishes. It was the first time since 1979-81 that the program failed to win a medal in consecutive years due to losses in the bronze-medal game.
More than a handful of players, including Connor McDavid and Sam Reinhart, returned for this tourney in Montreal and Toronto after experiencing the 2014 disappointment in Sweden. They would ultimately redeem themselves both individually and as a team.
The roster
Player
Position
Age
Lawson Crouse
F
17
Max Domi
F
19
Anthony Duclair
F
19
Robby Fabbri
F
18
Frederik Gauthier*
F
19
Curtis Lazar*
F
19
Connor McDavid*
F
17
Nick Paul
F
19
Nic Petan*
F
19
Brayden Point
F
18
Sam Reinhart*
F
19
Nick Ritchie
F
19
Jake Virtanen
F
18
Madison Bowey
D
19
Dillon Heatherington
D
19
Joe Hicketts
D
18
Samuel Morin
D
19
Josh Morrissey*
D
19
Darnell Nurse
D
19
Shea Theodore
D
19
Eric Comrie
G
19
Zach Fucale*
G
19
*Denotes returning player All ages are as of the start of the tournament
The tournament
Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Canada opened its tournament schedule by crushing Slovakia 8-0 with Fabbri posting two goals and two assists. A day later, Canada cruised to a 4-0 shutout victory over Germany.
The competition got a bit tougher after that, but the Canadian squad didn't waver and beat Finland 4-1. Before the medal round, Canada's biggest scare came on New Year's Eve against a U.S. team featuring Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews. However, a pair of goals from Domi helped Canada defeat the Americans 5-3 in both nations' final round-robin contest.
Canada's first game of the medal round invoked a bit of deja vu, as the hosts trounced Denmark 8-0 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinal, Slovakia had a chance to avenge its tournament-opening loss to Canada by the same score, but the result wasn't much better for the Slovaks. Petan potted a hat trick and the Canadian side coasted to a 5-1 win, setting up a gold-medal showdown with Russia.
The championship game reached a crescendo in the second period. Canada led 2-1 after 20 minutes, but McDavid, Domi, and Reinhart buried goals in a span of about seven minutes in the middle stanza. Russia responded shortly after, notching a trio of markers in just over three minutes to get back to within one. However, Canada clamped down in the third period and secured the gold with a 5-4 victory.
The stars
Claus Andersen / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Canadians dominated the tournament's scoring leaderboard. Reinhart, Domi, and Lazar led all skaters with five goals apiece, while Petan and Duclair finished among those tied for second with four. McDavid tied for third in goals with three and led all players with eight assists, tying for the points lead with 11.
Petan and Reinhart equaled McDavid atop the points race. Domi tied for second in that department with 10 and was named the tourney's best forward. McDavid, Reinhart, and Morrissey joined Domi as All-Stars at the event.
The key moment
Just over five minutes after Domi gave Canada a 4-1 lead in the gold medal game, Reinhart provided the dagger, tipping home Domi's shot to extend Canada's lead to four with seven and a half minutes remaining in the second period. Reinhart's goal was his team's third in a span of 7:22.
While it appeared to be a mere insurance marker at the time, it turned out to be the most important play of the night, and thus the tourney, because Russia stormed back with three consecutive goals to cut the lead to 5-4 late in the middle frame.
The fallout
Icon Sports Wire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
After the Edmonton Oilers won the NHL draft lottery in April 2015, they selected McDavid with the No. 1 pick - to no one's surprise - that June. He was considered the game's next generational talent at the time, and the 2016-17 Hart Trophy winner has lived up to the hype, becoming arguably the league's best player over the last few seasons.
The Buffalo Sabres chose Reinhart second overall about six months before the tourney began. While he hasn't become a superstar, he's blossomed into a dependable offensive player who has shown chemistry with Eichel.
Several other players on Canada's 2015 world junior roster turned into talented NHLers, including Point and Theodore. However, Petan and Lazar haven't lived up to the potential they displayed at this event - particularly in the latter player's case.
Like McDavid, Nurse debuted for the Oilers in 2015-16. Though he managed only a single point in this tournament, he's become a vital cog on Edmonton's blue line.
After its 2015 triumph, Team Canada stumbled for a sixth-place finish in 2016 and a silver medal the following year before reclaiming gold in 2018.
Draisaitl became the first-ever hockey player to take home the top athlete of the year award in Germany. He joins Dirk Nowitzki as the only team-sport athlete to win the award. Pastrnak became the first hockey player to win the award in the Czech Republic since Jaromir Jagr in 2005.
The 25-year-old Draisaitl earned his first Hart Trophy last year after leading the NHL with 110 points in 71 games. The German award, which is voted on by the nation's journalists, has been given out annually since 1947.
"What a great honor for me to be voted by so many journalists," Draisaitl wrote on Instagram. "Thank you for your votes and support. It's been an incredible year and I am very proud to finish 2020 as Germany's Athlete of the Year."
Pastrnak became the fourth Czech hockey player to earn the award, joining Josef Mikolas, Dominik Hasek, and Jagr. The award, which has been given out annually since 1959, is voted on by members of the Czech Sports Journalist Association.
"I would never have imagined that I could win the Athlete of the Year of the Czech Republic," Pastrnak said, according to NHL.com's Eric Russo. "In hockey, the biggest prize is collective success, but having your name on such a trophy with a great history is something amazing."
Pastrnak earned the first Rocket Richard Trophy of his career, sharing the honor with Alex Ovechkin after finishing tied with 48 goals apiece last season. The 24-year-old finished the year with 95 points in 70 games and was tied for third-most in the league.
The NHL released its health and safety protocols for the 2020-21 season, including COVID-19 protocols for positive tests and travel.
Some key measures include:
The league will announce the names of players who test positive for COVID-19 during the season.
All coaches must wear face coverings on the bench during games.
Following a positive test, players must self-isolate based on local health regulations and need to be cleared by a team physician and cardiologist before returning to play.
Teammates identified as close contacts won't be required to quarantine as long as they test negative and remain asymptomatic.
Players will stay alone in hotel rooms on the road and are not allowed to dine at restaurants, go shopping, or use transportation that isn't provided by the team.
The season is set to begin Jan. 13, with the playoffs concluding as late as July 9. The league re-aligned its four divisions, and teams will only play against others in their respective divisions to minimize travel.
Granlund was an unrestricted free agent but was a member of the Predators last season. He recorded 17 goals and 13 assists in 63 games.
The 28-year-old was selected ninth overall by the Wild in 2010. He spent the first seven years of his career in Minnesota before being dealt to Nashville during the 2018-19 season. In 540 career games, he's racked up 111 goals and 241 assists.
One of the NHL's most contentious rules will be slightly different moving forward.
While the league announced its critical dates and health and safety protocols for the upcoming season, it also revealed there will be a change to the offside rule.
Beginning in 2020-21, a player's skate will not need to be in contact with the blue line in order to be onside.
"A player is onside when either of his skates are in contact with the blue line, or on his own side of the line, at the instant the puck completely crosses the leading edge of the blue line," the NHLPA said.
It continues, "If a player's skate has yet to break the 'plane' prior to the puck crossing the leading edge, he is deemed to be onside for the purpose of the offside rule."
UPDATE TO @NHL RULE 83.1 (OFF-SIDE): Beginning in the 2020-21 regular season, a player's skate will not have to be in contact with the blue line in order to be on-side.
The offside rule has faced scrutiny over the past several years, especially with the recent introduction of coaching challenges and advanced video reviews.
Cernak's new pact is for three years with an average annual value of $2.95 million, while Rutta's is for two years with an AAV of $1.3 million.
Cernak was a restricted free agent, and with him now signed, the only player left in need of a contract is forward Anthony Cirelli. The 23-year-old Cernak isn't known as an offensive contributor but played key minutes on Tampa's back end during its Stanley Cup run this past summer.
Rutta signed a one-year, $1.3-million contract with the Lightning prior to last season and was unrestricted on the open market.
The Devils chose Prudential, while the Capitals' lids will feature ads for Capital One. The companies hold the sponsorship rights to the respective teams' arenas.
Here are the Devils' new helmet ads:
We're proud to be the first @NHL club to have brand placement on our helmets.
The Washington Capitals have announced Capital One as the team’s season-long official helmet entitlement partner with the placement of the company’s branding on the team’s helmet.
