The Ontario Hockey League will not have bodychecking this season because of COVID-19.
Lisa MacLeod, Ontario’s minister of sport, said Friday that removing purposeful physical contact from the game was necessary in preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
MacLeod said the decision was influenced by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, which had several COVID-19 outbreaks on its teams this fall.
The OHL said Thursday it plans to start a shortened season Feb. 4.
This article was originally published by Espn.com. Read the original article here.