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Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) President Bill Chow doesn’t see himself as much of a gamer, but starting on Thursday, a video game is how he’s going to watch the remainder of the CanAlta Cup playoffs unfold.
The SJHL has decided to resume its playoffs in a virtual format to finish off its season after the playoffs were cut short in the first round when COVID-19 brought the league to a halt on March 13.
With seven of the eight remaining playoff teams still looking to end the season as champions, Chow and league staff began exploring some fun and inventive ways to keep fans engaged before landing on a virtual simulation.
“The expectation of this event that we’re putting on is basically to create a distraction for whoever’s going to jump on and watch the virtual games,” Chow said.
“We’re just trying to do something different to create some entertainment and create a distraction after people have been self-isolating in their homes for the past number of days.”
The games will begin with the Yorkton Terriers hosting the La Ronge Ice Wolves at 7 p.m. in game five of their first round series that was cut short tied at 2-2.
Teams, rosters and jerseys were created on EA Sports’ NHL 20 game on PS4 using real statistics to provide a rating for each player. Periods will be 10 minutes with live play-by-play announcers describing all the action and hosting intermissions filled with analysis and highlights as if it were any other game.
“That’s how the system ranks the players. The computer takes over and it’s basically a simulation of whatever those stats are… and the computer figures out who’s going to win,” Chow said.
Even with high hopes that fans can take the games in stride, Chow understands there will be some arguments over player ratings on the game.
“It will hopefully add to the entertainment value,” Chow said. “As long as everybody keeps it in perspective, I’m sure everybody will have some fun with it, and I’m sure there’s going to be a few people that poke each other but that’s just the way these things go.”
One game will take place each night until a CanAlta Cup champion is decided.
“It’s the virtual simulation of our playoffs — nothing more, nothing less,” Chow said. “Obviously it’s not going to replace real hockey, but for the fun of it, it’s pretty good and hopefully it will be a nice distraction for some people.”
Fans can watch via Twitch, a live-streaming gaming platform, by searching SJHL.
