OLDS — Will the Olds Grizzlys host the Sherwood Park Crusaders this Friday as scheduled?
That's still a question Tuesday after it was announced Saturday, Jan. 20 that the Alberta Junior Hockey League's Crusaders, along with four other teams — the Blackfalds Bulldogs, Brooks Bandits, Okotoks Oilers and Spruce Grove Saints — committed to join the British Columbia Hockey League next season.
On Jan. 20, the Alberta league cancelled four games - all involving teams that are leaving the AJHL that were scheduled to play teams that weren't leaving the league. The Olds Grizzlys game against Blackfalds was one of the weekend games that was cancelled.
Yesterday, the AJHL cancelled one game scheduled for today and two games scheduled for tomorrow - all involving teams that were leaving the league.
The Albertan asked AJHL executive director Charla Flett if the Jan. 26 game between the Olds Grizzlys and Spruce Grove Saints is a go.
She was also asked what the league’s plan is going forward.
For example, whether the league will continue to issue announcements every day or two about cancelled games or lay out a plan for the remainder of the season.
“We will provide information as we are able to do so. I am sorry that we cannot provide you with a timeline,” she wrote in an email.
Blake Parker, the governor of the Olds Grizzlys AJHL franchise, said he too doesn’t know the answer to those questions, at least yet.
“At the moment I don't think a decision’s been made,” he said during an interview. “I know there's a scheduled call tomorrow (Wednesday, Jan. 24)," he said.
Parker said it’s his understanding that there are many other questions still to be answered, from Hockey Canada and others.
“There's a lot of moving parts from this,” he said, “including player safety and issues with that and insurance and everything else.”
In its Monday, Jan. 22 update, the AJHL said it had not suspended any of its 16 teams.
"All games played have been league sanctioned, under the management of AJHL game officials, and recorded in the league standings," the statement said.
