Toronto Maple Leafs fans applaud their team as they play against the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena, on Oct. 13, 2021.Dan Hamilton/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters
Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment will reduce the seating capacity at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena by 50 per cent as of Saturday to comply with new COVID-19 restrictions issued Wednesday by the Ontario government.
MLSE, which owns the NHL’s Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors of the NBA, said it supports the province’s decision and will continue to work with government and public-health officials to try to help limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.
On Wednesday, Ontario announced its highest single-day case load in more than seven months. Of the 1,808 people newly infected more than half were fully vaccinated. Numbers are increasing dramatically due to a more contagious variant of COVID-19 called Omicron.
The move by MLSE means that crowds will be limited to 9,900 at Raptors games and 9,400 when the Maple Leafs are on home ice. The Raptors are at home on Saturday against Golden State and Monday against Orlando. The Maple Leafs do not play again at the arena until Dec. 23 when the St. Louis Blues pay a visit.
“Our ticketing team is working through the logistics of implementing this change and will provide follow-up details to all ticket-holders within 24 hours,” a statement provided by MLSE said.
An enhanced protocol called Operation Mask Up (or out) is also being implemented. It will require everyone in attendance to strictly adhere to the mask-wearing policy or risk ejection from the building. Since the beginning of their seasons, both teams have required guests to show proof that they are fully vaccinated or provide a recent negative COVID-19 test.
The 50-per-cent capacity rule would also apply to BMO Field, the home of the CFL’s Argonauts and Toronto FC soccer club, but their seasons are over.
The new provincial restrictions would have greatly reduced the attendance at Sunday’s Grey Cup game in Hamilton which attracted a standing-room crowd of more than 26,000 people.
The Ottawa Senators also announced that they would comply with the 50-per-cent capacity limit at Canadian Tire Centre.
Tougher restrictions are being imposed as COVID-19 numbers increase throughout the sports world. The NHL has been especially hard hit, and as of Tuesday nine games had been postponed because of outbreaks among players. The league then announced Wednesday that Calgary’s Saturday home game against Columbus has been scrapped as well.
The Flames currently have 16 players, three coaches and seven other staff members on the NHL’s protocol list.
Cases exploded dramatically on Tuesday and the trend continued on Wednesday. The Nashville Predators announced that six players, their head coach and five other members of their travelling party are now in the COVID-19 protocol, the Florida Panthers added five players and some other staff members, the Boston Bruins added star centre Patrice Bergeron to it as well.
On Tuesday night, two Vancouver players were pulled during a game against Columbus after a second set of tests undertaken earlier in the day indicated that they have COVID. Edmonton’s head coach Dave Tippett learned late in the day that he also had tested positive and could not be behind the team’s bench. The Oilers then also entered a player into the protocol on Wednesday morning.
With coronavirus cases and postponements climbing, the Associated Press reported that the NHL is about to immediately introduce enhanced protocols that will restrict players to their hotels while on the road. Daily testing will also return for players and coaches as part of an agreement reached between the league and the NHL Players’ Association after two days of meetings and worsening conditions.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.
The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.
He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.
Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.
He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.
Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — No. 1 Texas will start Arch Manning at quarterback Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe while regular starter Quinn Ewers continues to recover from a strained muscle in his abdomen, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday.
It will be the first career start for Manning, a second year freshman. He relieved Ewers in the second quarter last week against UTSA, and passed for four touchdowns and ran for another in a 56-7 Texas victory.
Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, the grandson of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, and the nephew of Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning.
Ewers missed several games over the previous two seasons with shoulder and sternum injuries.
The Longhorns are No. 1 for the first time since 2008 and Saturday’s matchup with the Warhawks is Texas’ last game before the program starts its first SEC schedule against Mississippi State on Sept. 28.
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