The Big Six Hockey League鈥檚 season is officially over.
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President Rae Wright told the Observer Wednesday that the rest of the season has been cancelled for the venerable senior hockey league, which has teams in nine markets and is a big part of winter life in those and other communities.
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The Carlyle Cougars had been placed in a division with the Kipling-Windthorst Oil Kings, the Redvers Rockets, the Wawota Flyers and the Carnduff Red Devils. The other division boasted the Arcola-Kisbey Combines, the Bienfait Coalers, the Midale Mustangs and the Yellow Grass Wheat Kings.
Wright noted none of the teams were opposed to cancelling the season, as they understood this step had to be taken.
The Big Six started the 2020-21 season in early November, as it normally would. Teams played anywhere from two to five games in the few weeks of league play.听
But the season was halted on Nov. 27 when the Saskatchewan Health Authority halted games for team sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teams also couldn鈥檛 practise to keep their skills sharp.
There weren鈥檛 any COVID outbreaks associated with Big Six games or teams.听
When the provincial government announced Tuesday that it was extending the ban on games until Feb. 19, Wright said that was the final blow for the 2020-21 season, but they knew for some time that the season would likely have to be cancelled.听
The league is usually in the second round of the playoffs by Feb. 19.
鈥淲ith the players not even allowed to practice, most of them haven鈥檛 skated for 2 1/2 months. It鈥檚 tough to come back and go straight into the playoffs.鈥�
Also, many communities are looking to turn off their ice plants and having natural ice for the rest of the winter.听
This week鈥檚 edition of the Observer will have more on this story.听
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