COVID-19 steals season from Lakeshore hockey team

Undefeated at home with just four losses on the season and a league low of 57 goals against in 40 games, the Lakeshore Canadiens were a thriving minor hockey team. The only opponent that seemed to be able to take them down turned out to be the COVID-19 pandemic. 

When Hockey Canada put an end to all hockey across the entire country, it also put an end to the best season Lakeshore had seen in years. But at first, there was a little hope that they would get to fight for the championships. 

“We heard about it during the week right after we beat Essex that it might be canceled, it might just be postponed. Then we ended up having a practice on the Thursday right before the Friday when we would have started and they just told us it’s completely canceled,” said Canadiens defenseman Andrew Thoms. 

Devastated that their season was cut short just as they were on the brink of a championship, Thoms can’t help but feel for his teammates that won’t have an opportunity to redeem themselves. 

“It sucks especially for the over-ager guys who can’t come back next year,” said Thoms. “I know the guys on our team love hockey more than anything, especially our over-agers, and just the fact that it has to end like this is just the worst thing ever.”

The Thoms family also feels the results of the pandemic a little more than the average family because the end of the season meant their billet, Matthew Tovell, had to pack up early and head home. 

“The worst part is you know Matthew Tovell had to go back home, no hockey, no school. So part of him wanting to go home to see his family and everything, but we’ve talked to him obviously almost every day and he says he misses it down here, which he obviously would’ve had a chance to go further as well,” said Rob Thoms, Andrew’s dad and Tovell’s billet father. “So, yeah, this thing’s affecting everything all the way around.”

Aware of the impact that the local hockey community is feeling along with the rest of the world, local health professionals emphasize that it is more important than ever to pay attention to guidelines set out by the government and self-isolate as much as possible. 

“It can be challenging because we all like to socialize and hang out with friends but it is important that we must continue to maintain physical distancing as we are dealing with this pandemic outbreak,” said Dr. Wajid Ahmed, medical officer of health at the Windsor-Essex Health Unit. 

Despite the disappointment of the abrupt end to the hockey season, Andrew Thoms is staying active and keeps in contact with his teammates through Xbox games. 

“Just going for bike rides keeping the cardio up for next year even making your own makeshift things at home for weights and different workouts going rollerblading, closest thing to hockey,” said Thoms.

While practicing social distanceng and staying active in anyway possible, Thoms prepares for the next season and keeps a positive mindset looking forward to the team’s future.

“Hopefully this whole thing goes away soon and it sucks the impact that it’s already had, but hopefully it doesn’t keep getting worse and hopefully next year things are just completely back to normal and going smooth again,” said Thoms. “We had a really good team and we were gonna go for it all.”