If the NHL restarts, don鈥檛 expect any games at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
On Thursday, commissioner Gary Bettman announced the league will not play in non-NHL venues such as Victoria, Saskatoon or North Dakota if it reopens this summer.
Victoria had put in a bid to the league that emphasized the low number of COVID-19 cases on Vancouver Island, the made-for-TV arena, the number of top-end hotels for the NHL players and 鈥渟pectacular downtown TV visuals.鈥�
鈥淚t was worth a try,鈥� Keith Wells, executive director of the Greater Victoria Sport Tourism Commission.
Wells filed the bid even though he is off work and not being paid during the pandemic.
Greater Victoria鈥檚 planned big spring and summer of international and national sporting events has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The sa国际传媒 men鈥檚 soccer games against Trinidad and Tobago, considered key for 2022 World Cup Qatar qualifying in CONCACAF and scheduled for last month at Westhills Stadium in Langford, were cancelled.
So, too, was the annual sa国际传媒 10K, scheduled for Sunday, and the annual Stars on Ice tour.
The sa国际传媒 Sevens women鈥檚 rugby tournament, planned for May 2-3 at Westhills Stadium, has been postponed, as has the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour sa国际传媒 DCBank Open presented by the sa国际传媒.
The fate of the Canadian Little League baseball championship, set for Layritz Park in August, is unknown, but the Tokyo Olympic basketball qualifying tournament, which had been scheduled for June 23-28 at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, will take place next summer.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been tough,鈥� Wells said. 鈥淏ut we鈥檒l look to jump-start and get things back on track later this year and try to keep building sport and attracting events to the capital region.鈥�
