Provincial restrictions put 2022 NHL Heritage Classic in doubt

On Thursday's edition of Insider Trading on TSN, Chris Johnston reported that the 2022 NHL Heritage Classic may be in doubt due to the current COVID-19 restrictions in place in the province of Ontario.

"Another impact of these restrictions, particularly here in Ontario, is that the Heritage Classic outdoor game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres is in some degree of limbo. That's scheduled for March 13 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton. The NHL actually has a group of staffers coming up to Hamilton this week. And so, the league has to be full steam ahead in terms of its preparations," Johnston said.

Last week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced a slew of restrictions to combat the rise of COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant. One of those restrictions was that no tickets could be told for indoor sporting events and that outdoor sporting events could be held, but at a 50% capacity.

"Closing indoor sport and recreational fitness facilities including gyms, except for athletes training for the Olympics and Paralympics and select professional and elite amateur sport leagues. Outdoor facilities are permitted to operate but with the number of spectators not to exceed 50 per cent occupancy and other requirements," Ontario's website said.

Johnston also said that NHL isn't too keen on having the game if it's going to be at less than 100% capacity. Now it appears that because of these restrictions and the unknown of how long they'll remain in place for, that the 2022 Heritage Classic could potentially be cancelled or postponed to 2023.

"But they haven't received any indication yet from provincial authorities what the capacity limits might look like and my sources are telling me that the league is not inclined to play this game at reduced capacity or anything less than 100 per cent. And so, as they're finalizing the outdoor games for next season – something they want done by the All-Star Game – they're leaving a spot open because it's possible that Heritage Classic is moved back a year," Johnston added.

The 2022 event is scheduled to be the first Heritage Classic since 2019 when the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Calgary Flames in front of 33,518 fans at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Source: TSN - Insider Trading.

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