Spectator sports return to northern Ontario in the midst of the pandemic, but tickets are tough to come by

Mitchell Martin says several times a game he has to remind himself not to body check the opposing players.

That will now get you kicked out of a junior hockey game. 

The Rayside-Balfour Canadians forward also is puzzled that he can sit next to his teammates on the bench and in the dressing room, but they can't hug each other after a goal. 

"Things like that don't make a lot of sense in our minds, but I guess we got to take all the precautions we can," he says. 

Martin says he and his teammates are thrilled that the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League has started its season, one of the few in Ontario allowed to hit the ice during the pandemic.

Commissioner Robert Mazzucca says several players have already been ejected for body contact and two suspended six games for fighting, which would have been a five minute penalty before COVID-19.

"What they need to figure out and figure it out quick is if you want to play, these are the rules," he says.

Three teams in the league are not hitting the ice at all, so far.

The Soo Michigan Eagles have been benched by border restrictions, Elliot Lake Wildcats decided to sit this season out because of the pandemic and the Powassan Voodoos haven't been allowed into the town's arena due to physical distancing concerns. 

Most towns and cities in the circuit are allowing up to 50 fans for each game, while Greater Sudbury has capped it at 35. 

Mazzucca says that will make it a tough financial year for most teams, who get about one-third of their revenue from ticket sales and another third from advertising and sponsorships, most of which is targeted at fans sitting in the bleachers.

"Figured that we should make a go of it, because the concern is as a league if we don't provide something, there may not be a league next year," he says. 

"The teams are prepared to accept a lot more financial risk."

One step down on the competitive hockey ladder, the Great North Under 18 league (known until recently as the Great North Midget League) is hoping to drop the puck at the end of November. 

Commissioner Albert Corradini says the only reason they're able to play is because of the low COVID numbers in the north, but he says he won't hesitate to close things down if there's an outbreak. 

"This isn't one of those things where it's life and death. And I hate to say that because there are those people who believe this is life and death," he says.

League play will look very different, with two teams, such as North Bay and New Liskeard or Timmins and Kapuskasing, each forming "hubs" and then splitting into four teams who play each other over a six week-period.

"I don't want to say it's shinny," says Corradini, but understands why some will see this as being closer to informal pond hockey than what we're used to seeing played in an arena. 

The top tier Ontario Hockey League is waiting until the new year to hit the ice, hoping it can return with body contact and sell tickets to more than a handful of fans. 

Commissioner David Branch says the league is not pressing the provincial government to loosen any COVID restrictions.

"No, no. I don't believe it would appropriate to lobby about the playing rules, at all. I mean, safety is paramount," he says.

Branch says starting the season as planned in early February without selling tickets to thousands of fans could be tough financially for some teams, who are already struggling after being benched for the past eight months. 

"The big concern is, you know, can all of our teams survive through this economic challenge? We're not different from so many other different industries," he says, adding that including the three OHL teams based in the United States is another problem with COVID border restrictions. 

Next door in Michigan, the Lake Superior Lakers have begun their college hockey season with body contact and were going to play a home opener before 500 fans, before the state went into lockdown and the game went ahead with no crowd.

There are no fans in the stands for Quebec Major Junior Hockey League games, but bodychecking is allowed and the OHL's rival is already a month into their season.

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies forward Alex Beaucage says it's weird to score a goal and hear no cheering from the "plastic faces" of fake fans sitting in the seats. 

"There's people in the stands, but not real ones. It's better than nothing," he says. 

"We're still putting emotion on the ice and it's still fun."

Northern Ontario's only professional sports team is also waiting for the pandemic to simmer down before tipping off. 

The Sudbury Five play in the National Basketball League of Canada, which right now is planning to open it's season March 12

Deputy commissioner Audley Stephenson says they looked at playing games without fans, but it didn't make any business sense for the league.

"We looked at it and examined it and it just didn't bear any fruit for us," he says.

But without player salaries, travel and housing, Stephenson says missing a full year of play shouldn't be too tough on most teams.

"We're confident that when March is here that our teams financially will be ready to go," says Stephenson.