Things are getting interesting around hockey arenas in the United States. With teams reporting to camp last week, it feels like things are starting to get back to normal. Unfortunately for some teams, that isn’t the case.
USHL
The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders have officially announced that they will not be playing this USHL season due to a recent storm that left their arena devastated. This is the first time since 1999 that the RoughRiders will not be on a USHL schedule. General Manager and Head Coach Mark Carlson has been with the team since their 1999 inaugural season. He’s the second-winningest coach in USHL history (665-467-116) and led the RoughRiders to the 2005 Clark Cup Championship.
Staying in the USHL, the Madison Capitols are also forgoing their season but due to COVID-19. Recent restrictions have hindered their ability to gather as a team to perform routine hockey tasks. Without the ability to practice or play, they have halted operations until further notice.
Players from the RoughRiders and Capitols will subject to a dispersal draft which will be held in the coming weeks.
NAHL
In the NAHL, the Springfield Jr. Blues have announced their decision to suspend operations for their 2020-21 season. Like the Capitols, recent COVID restrictions have prevented them from being able to gather as a team. The Blues are the oldest NAHL franchise and this will be the first time since 1993 that they will not take the ice.
The Jamestown Rebels have notified league officials that they too will be opting out of the NAHL season. The move comes somewhat in the eleventh hour as they did everything in their power to save their season.
This now brings the total to four in the NAHL of teams who have opted out: Springfield, Jamestown, Corpus Christi, and Kansas City.
As we all know, hockey is going to look a little (very) different this season. The NAHL will be missing four staples on their schedule and the USHL will be missing one of the winningest programs in league history. Hopefully, each and every league is able to get their schedule sorted out so we can see some hockey sooner than later! We’ll see you next week.
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