It’s my Parting Shot to talk about Return to Play protocols…..

I’ll start by saying that I can hardly wait for the day that the words protocols and pandemic are no longer part of my daily life…both personal and professional!

With that said, curling will return later this month or early next month. This is as social a game as you can get, certainly when it comes to being an indoor activity. That activity extends from the ice to a few drinks afterwards…and that’s where I have a concern as to how well participants will maintain physical distancing! On the ice, there will only be one brusher for all shots so as to satisfy the physical distance requirement. I had to laugh when one of my best friends in the world quipped that with his curling team, even with two brushers, they might as well only be using one!

Minor hockey is getting ready to start try-outs next week…at least they are in Saskatoon. With a limit of 30 people in the ice surface area…players, coaches and officials…that means some tiny rosters, tired players and more four-on-four play than the usual five-on-five. There are those that feel that’s the next big rule change for hockey…especially amongst elite adults who have become very adept at making a 200-foot-by-85-foot area seem clogged up with 10 skaters!

With paying spectators having been outlawed from live sporting events since mid-March, is anyone going to want to go and pay an exhorbitant amount for a ticket to any sport, game or activity in the future? That saved, disposable income…used for “real” expenses…is going to be tough to extract when the time comes methinks!

I hope I’m wrong!!

That’s my Parting Shot, I’m Les Lazaruk…..