TORONTO - The Ontario Hockey League has cancelled its 2020-21 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision on Tuesday means the OHL will be the only one of Canada's three major junior hockey leagues not to hold a 2020-21 season.
The league says it reached an agreement on a return-to-play plan with the Ontario government earlier this month. However, the OHL says the recently extended stay-at-home order along with increasing cases of COVID-19 across the province made it impossible to have a season.
The league says the plan was to hold a shortened season in hub cities, a model used by some divisions in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey League.
The QMJHL started its season around its usual date in October with Quebec teams staying in the province and Maritime teams strictly playing in their own division. However, the campaign was interrupted several times by COVID-19 outbreaks. Teams played a maximum of 40 regular-season games, down from the usual 64. The league plans to crown a champion.