The Adirondack Thunder hockey team, the ECHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils that plays its games at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls, is opting out of the 2020-21 season.
The Thunder joined the rest of the North Division in the decision to not play.
The Adirondack Hockey Coalition LLC and Adirondack Civic Center Coalition said in a statement that the Adirondack Thunder will not be able to participate in the 2020-21 ECHL season “due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic and the state’s guidelines on permitting no fans inside the arena.
“We were hopeful that government restrictions would ease up as we approached the time we needed to declare our formal intentions for the season. Unfortunately, we are unable to have any fans in attendance for the foreseeable future and cannot sustain a season without fans,” officials said.
The North Division of the ECHL is comprised of six teams including Adirondack, Worcester, Maine, Reading, Brampton, and Newfoundland.
“We knew this season would be a challenge regardless of any state restrictions on fans in the arena,” officials said. “We had worked on numerous contingency plans to socially distance fans and to ensure a clean, safe environment, and to fully abide by all state-imposed guidelines. We were ready to play at a 50 percent capacity, knowing it would be difficult to operate at that capacity.
“We know the disappointment our fans, coaches, players, staff, and community share with this announcement. Our focus going forward will be to start the planning for the 2021-22 season.”
All season ticket holder payments will automatically be shifted to the 2021-22 season, officials said. Fans that wish to discuss their plans, can call 518-480-3355, ext. 319. Season Ticket pricing for the 2021-22 season will remain flat and went on sale Dec. 1.
Despite not being able to participate in the 2020-21 season, the team still encounters significant expenses throughout the winter. Those who would like to donate their ticket money to our Keep Hockey Here campaign can contact Mead at jmead@echlthunder.com.
“We are thankful to our community as well as local and state officials that have supported the Cool Insuring Arena and Adirondack Thunder since 2015. We know without this incredible support, we would not be able to operate the arena and team,” the team statement said.
“As we continue to navigate the continually changing regulations across North America, we recognize the difficult nature of this decision,” said ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin. “While some of our teams’ host cities have allowed upcoming plans to include fans inside arenas, we unfortunately do not see the same path for these highly-affected areas in the North East.”
Under the terms of the ECHL/PHPA Collective Bargaining Agreement, all players from the Adirondack Thunder, Brampton Beast, Maine Mariners, Newfoundland Growlers, Reading Royals and Worcester Railers are free agents for the 2020-21 season immediately.”
Began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 26 teams in 19 states and two Canadian provinces. There have been 678 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including 16 who made their NHL debuts in the 2019-20 season.
The ECHL had affiliations with 25 of the 31 NHL teams in 2019-20, marking the 23rd consecutive season that the league had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.
Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com as well as on Twitter and Facebook.
