Charlotte Checkers, AHL won’t start until at least early December

The Charlotte Checkers and the rest of the American Hockey League won’t resume operations until at least early December, AHL officials say.

The league’s Board of Governors voted Thursday to start the season no earlier than Dec. 4.

The AHL suspended its 2019-20 season in mid-March, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league announced two months later that it would not finish the season.

Typically, the AHL’s regular season begins in the first week of October.

But surrounded with the uncertainties caused by the novel coronavirus, league officials decided to push back the start of the season by two months.

Unlike the NHL, the AHL does not have big television contracts, so the league’s franchises depend heavily on gate receipts. In many of the AHL’s cities, attendance at sports events is either severely limited or not permitted at all.

Another potential issue is Canadian officials’ reluctance to permit travel between the United States and Canada, which has far fewer COVID-19 cases and a lower transmission rate than in the United States. Canadian officials announced earlier this month that they would not permit the Toronto Blue Jays to play home baseball games in Ontario.

Four AHL franchises are based in Canada — the Belleville Senators and Toronto Marlies in Ontario; the Laval Rocket in Quebec; and the Manitoba Moose.

AHL officials said Thursday they will “continue to work with member clubs” to monitor developments and local guidelines in all 31 league cities.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle

This story was originally published July 31, 2020 at 9:02 AM with the headline "Charlotte Checkers, AHL won’t start until at least early December."