2020-21 OHL season

This is the 2020-21 Ontario Hockey League season. This is the league's 51st season dating back to its' founding as the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League.
There are currently 20 teams in the OHL; 16 are based in the Canadian province of Ontario,three teams in the American state of Michigan and one team in the American state of Pennsylvania. Out of the 18 teams based in Ontario, 15 teams are in Southern Ontario, and 3 teams are in Northern Ontario.
The 20 OHL clubs play a 68 game unbalanced schedule, which starts in the third full week of September, running until the third week of March. Ninety per cent (90%) of OHL games are scheduled between Thursday and Sunday to minimize the number of school days missed for its players. Ninety-five per cent (95%) of the players in the league are attending high school or college.
==Effects of COVID-19 pandemic== 
===Spring 2020===
The league was forced to end its season on March 12th after an order from Hockey Canada that suspended all play in leagues under its' jurisdiction. The balance 2019-20 season playoffs and the Memorial Cup were cancelled shortly thereafter.
===Summer 2020===
The league announced it was hoping for an early December start.
===Fall 2020===
But with an early fall spike in cases that it is seeming to be an unlikely event unless some fundamental changes to the games are made such as no contact between players (i.e. checking and fighting) and the possibility of playing 4-on-4 or even 3-on-3 games and reduced rosters to allow for more space between players on benches. The Ottawa 67's and Mississauga Steelheads are both in "hot zones" and would not be able to play games in their home region. The three U.S.-based teams (Erie Otters, Flint Firebirds, and Saginaw Spirit) are presently unable to cross the Canada-U.S. border and would require permission of the Canadian federal government to do so. The league has already stated it would not be interested in a bubble situations.https://www.tsn.ca/ohl-s-return-won-t-happen-with-bodychecking-or-other-physical-contact-macleod-1.1535686 Other leagues (Allan Cup Hockey, Ontario University Athletics and Greater Toronto Hockey League) in Ontario have stated they would not start until January at the earliest. The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League and Provincial Junior Hockey League (OHA) have both had their U.S.-based teams suspend operations for the season due to the border closure and government restrictions in place in New York.
The league will attempt a February 4, 2021 start with each team playing 40 games and only 8 teams (as opposed to the traditional 16) qualifying for the playoffs and that the 2021 Memorial Cup will be held June 17 to 20 with an apparently shortened time frame. No mention was made of the status of the US-based teams in the league as it is subject to border closure which is being renewed on a month-by-month basis.https://thejuniorhockeynews.com/ohl-season-start-february-4th-2021/
On April 20, 2021 the league announced the cancellation of the 2020-21 season.2020-21 OHL season.'''
==Franchise changes==
none
==Current member teams==
Ontario Hockey League	Ontario Hockey League 	Ontario Hockey League 	Ontario Hockey League 	Ontario Hockey League
Eastern Conference 	Eastern Conference 	Eastern Conference 	Eastern Conference 	Eastern Conference
Division 	Team 	City 	Arena 	Capacity
East 	Hamilton Bulldogs 	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada 	FirstOntario Centre 	17,383
East 	Kingston Frontenacs 	Kingston, Ontario, Canada 	Leon's Centre 	5,614
East 	Oshawa Generals 	Oshawa, Ontario, Canada 	Tribute Communities Centre 	6,125
East 	Ottawa 67's 	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 	TD Place Arena 	9,862
East 	Peterborough Petes 	Peterborough, Ontario, Canada 	Peterborough Memorial Centre 	4,329
Central 	Barrie Colts 	Barrie, Ontario, Canada 	Sadlon Arena 	4,195
Central 	Mississauga Steelheads 	Mississauga, Ontario, Canada 	Paramount Fine Foods Centre 	5,612
Central 	Niagara IceDogs 	St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada 	Meridian Centre 	5,300
Central 	North Bay Battalion 	North Bay, Ontario, Canada 	North Bay Memorial Gardens 	4,246
Central 	Sudbury Wolves 	Sudbury, Ontario, Canada 	Sudbury Community Arena 	4,640
Western Conference 	Western Conference 	Western Conference 	Western Conference 	Western Conference
Division 	Team 	City 	Arena 	Capacity
Midwest 	Erie Otters 	Erie, Pennsylvania, USA 	Erie Insurance Arena 	6,833
Midwest 	Guelph Storm 	Guelph, Ontario, Canada 	Sleeman Centre 	4,715
Midwest 	Kitchener Rangers 	Kitchener, Ontario, Canada 	Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex 	7,777
Midwest 	London Knights 	London, Ontario, Canada 	Budweiser Gardens 	9,046
Midwest 	Owen Sound Attack 	Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada 	Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre	3,500
West 	Flint Firebirds 	Flint, Michigan, USA 	Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center	4,021
West 	Saginaw Spirit 	Saginaw, Michigan, USA 	Dow Event Center 	5,527
West 	Sarnia Sting 	Sarnia, Ontario, Canada 	Progressive Auto Sales Arena 	5,500
West 	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds	Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada	Essar Centre 	4,928
West 	Windsor Spitfires 	Windsor, Ontario, Canada 	WFCU Centre 	6,450
==Standings==
Season cancelled
==2021 J. Ross Robertson Cup Playoffs==
The J. Ross Robertson Cup playoffs consist of 16 teams, the top 8 from each conference. The teams play a best-of-seven game series, and the winner of each series advances to the next round. The Eastern Conference champion is awarded the Bobby Orr Trophy and the Western Conference champion is awarded the Wayne Gretzky Trophy. The two conference champions compete for the J. Ross Robertson Cup and a berth in the 2021 Memorial Cup. 
The Memorial Cup would be cancelled prior to the league cancelling its own season.
==References==
Category:2021 in ice hockey
Category:Ontario Hockey League seasons