The 10 member teams of the EIHL have outlined a roadmap for a return to ice hockey.
The 10 member teams of the EIHL have outlined a roadmap for a return to ice hockey.
In their latest conference call held today (Tuesday July 14th), all teams voted to approve plans for season 2020/21 which would allow for pre-season games in November, with the regular season starting with the Magic 5 Weekend on December 5th & 6th.
The regular season would end on the weekend of May 1st/2nd followed by the playoff quarterfinals and then the Playoff Finals weekend in Nottingham on May 15th/16th.
A fixtures meeting has been tentatively scheduled for the beginning of September.
EIHL Chairman Tony Smith explained:
“There are 2 factors that we need to consider with any return to play plan; 1) we need 6 to 8 weeks from the time we know we can play in order to complete our teams, get work visas in place, book flights, buy equipment, etc and 2) We need our fans. We cannot play behind closed doors or with very limited capacity, it just isn’t an option.”
All 10 teams are committed to playing the 2020/21 season, although a final decision on being able to resume top-flight ice hockey games in December with crowds will be led by the guidance from the UK Government and devolved administrations.
