QMJHL and SHL Cancel Seasons

The coronavirus claimed two more hockey seasons as the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Swedish Hockey League both announced they have ended the 2019-20 season due to the worldwide pandemic.

The Quebec League suspended play six days ago along with the rest of the Canadian Hockey League and announced yesterday that they were canceling the season outright. They are still hoping to get the playoffs in, however.

The determination for the playoffs will see the league commissioner determining “the general standings of the teams by using the points percentage if all teams have not played the same number of games at the time of the” cancellation. Tie breakers are in place if two teams are tied in a spot.

Currently 15 teams are in playoff position. The Sherbrooke Phoenix are first overall under the points percentage system with only 63 games played (a good portion of the teams had played 64 games already).

In addition to this, the QMJHL announced that their 2020 Entry Draft will now take place online instead of in Sherbrooke as previously planned. The annual meeting of the league is canceled. The Draft was to take place on June 6 at the Palais des Sports Leopold-Drolet. The meetings were supposed to be from June 3-5 in Sherbrooke as well.

In addition, the league’s Golden Puck Awards (to be held at the L’Etoile theater in Brossard Quebec – all events there were canceled) is canceled. As is other events the New England Showcase, the Gatorade Excellence Challenge and the Goaltenders Development Camp.

The rest of the CHL continues to be postponed. The league is hoping to get the 2020 Memorial Cup in as scheduled.

In addition to the Quebec League here in North America, the Swedish League has shut down the 2019-20 season as well. I do not read Swedish, but it looked, from their website, that the playoffs have been canceled there too.

Also, I don’t think I have mentioned it here, but due to the NCAA stopping all sports, the 2020 Frozen Four will not be taking place.

Have a great week, and I hope everyone is keeping safe.