Charting The Road Return of Rec Hockey: 'I Believe We've Found a Path Back'

TheHockeyNews.com | Ken Campbell

A couple of things happened this weekend that made Mark Scheff believe that, when it comes to the return of grassroots hockey from the COVID-19 pandemic, things are maybe, just maybe starting to get back to normal.

The first thing was the first group to occupy the ice at the Jacksonville (Fla.) Ice & Sportsplex when it reopened last Friday was a group of firefighters who have a regular time slot. You’d think that if anyone would be reticent about getting on the ice first, it would be a group of first responders. But Scheff reported there were about 20 of them out on the ice Friday morning. The second was that there were even a couple of fights, not including the pay-per-view UFC card that was held in Jacksonville over the weekend. We’re talking on-ice fights and suspensions in the Jacksonville Adult Winter Hockey League. “So I guess we’re officially back,” Scheff said.

The Jacksonville rink was one of the first to re-open in North America after arenas were shuttered in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared Phase I of the state’s reopening plan in effect last week, Scheff set about to ready his facility to get players back on the ice. He estimates that this past weekend between 400 and 500 people came through the facility and things went smoothly. Players had their temperatures taken when they arrived at the rink, they didn’t shower at the facility and had to leave within 15 minutes of their games ending, spectators were kept to a minimum and referees wore masks and used electronic whistles.