Players within the Greater Toronto Hockey League are free agents, now that the Ontario Hockey Federation has temporarily lifted a ban on so-called outlaw leagues.
Minor hockey players whose sanctioned leagues are not operating during the COVID-19 pandemic — like the GTHL — can play in unsanctioned organizations until their regular leagues return to the ice.
“We are not endorsing or sanctioning or insuring those (unsanctioned) programs,” said Phil McKee, executive director of the OHF — an umbrella organization for most minor hockey leagues in the province, implementing the policies of both Hockey Canada and the provincial sports ministry. “From a player’s perspective, it’s an opportunity for them to go to an unsanctioned league.”
The ban was lifted temporarily following pressure from hockey families after the GTHL decided to shut down all on-ice activities — even though small practices are still allowed under provincial guidelines — until at least January after the Ontario government ordered limits in Toronto and Mississauga. The ban is also lifted temporarily for coaches and officials within the GTHL.
Girls hockey, sanctioned by the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association, decided to keep practising wherever possible (including Toronto, Mississauga and Ottawa), creating a situation where brothers and sisters were living under separate sets of rules.
The GTHL essentially controls the hockey-playing lives of its players. Typically, anyone who commits to the league can’t play anywhere else from October until the season is over. The OHF has lifted that ban temporarily, telling its leagues that players can join unsanctioned leagues without penalty until the sanctioned league returns to play.
But it would mean more travel, with York Region being told to revert to Phase 2 of the province’s COVID-19 protocols starting Monday. Like Toronto and Mississauga, York Region rinks will be available only for practices with a limited number of participants, not scrimmages or games.
Unsanctioned leagues have long been a thorn in the side of the GTHL, the world’s largest minor hockey program with up to 40,000 participants. These leagues sit outside the jurisdiction of Hockey Canada and tend to have relationships with top players through summer programs, where jurisdiction is not an issue.
While hockey parents are getting emails trying to lure their sons to play, these unsanctioned leagues would have to set up shop in a region where games are allowed. And they’d have to import players from regions where games are banned, so there’s also a public health question.
“I’m not sure public health units want thousands of people coming into their region from notable hot spots,” said McKee. “If the private operators put their programming in an adjacent region, and 5,000 players from the GTHL come in from Toronto daily, I’m not sure that’s supporting the intention of the public health recommendations.”
From the summer onward, unsanctioned tournaments were popping up all over as a means to give players — typically those at the triple-A level, who see junior in their future — a place to play and be seen by scouts. Smaller tournaments can keep numbers limited and stay within the parameters of their local health authority.
