North Bay Battalion General Manager Adam Dennis says the team will be following the OHL protocol in light of COVID-19. He says it’s about keeping everyone healthy.

“Things like the fist bumps when the players come out. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to stop those until we get further direction from the league. It’s obviously something that we take seriously and the safety of our players is most important,” he says.

The list of measures includes access to dressing rooms and member team facilities will be limited to players, coaches and support staff only, media access to be held in designated areas outside dressing rooms, elimination of handshakes between teammates, opponents and officials, no sharing of water bottles or towels on benches or penalty box areas and avoiding direct contact with fans, including high-fives, handshakes, and autographing of items.

The protocol emphasizes good hygiene practices, including regular and thorough washing of hands with soap and water, or cleansing with alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

He was asked about possibly playing games without fans in the building.

“It doesn’t change the blue lines, the red line or the nets. The ice is still cold and there’s a puck. Outside of the atmosphere it doesn’t change much for the players. It’s happened before. We have a lot of first year players so they’re used to playing in front of just a few fans,” he says.

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Filed under: Adam Dennis, COVID-19, North Bay Battalion