from Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province,

A strong second infection waive of the worldwide pandemic virus has Canadian health officials pondering the viability of professional indoor sports leagues introducing a slow transition to fans, especially if COVID fatigue and community spread in the winter months threatens to overwhelm and contaminate arenas....

Dr. Brian Conway is president and medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre. He’s also a Vancouver Canucks season-ticket subscriber and a voice of reason in monitoring the physical and mental health of the local populace.

On Monday, he was also asked to play NHL owner.

Combining a passion for his profession and enthusiasm for attending hockey games, he gave a somewhat sobering assessment. The NHL wants an 82-game schedule, but COVID concerns and broadcast partner NBC being committed to the rescheduled Tokyo Summer Olympics will likely mean a contracted schedule and more significant revenues losses in an attempt to award the Stanley Cup by July 18. The Olympics commence July 23.

Like other NHL franchises, the Canucks have a plan to start next season with no fans at Rogers Arena and then slowly transition to patrons as COVID concerns ease. That’s the hope. Relentlessness of the virus is the reality.

“Right now, from a public-health point of view which goes into all of our decision-making, I do not see a start until the beginning of February, and the fact (is) we’re only worrying about Canada,” said Dr. Conway. “I can’t speak for the United States. American authorities in place have no interest in mitigating the pandemic. The considerations would be three-fold:

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