On March 12th, the American Hockey League and Minor League Baseball joined other professional sports leagues in delaying their 2020 regular season play due to COVID-19.
When play was suspended in the AHL, the Providence Bruins were in first place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 38-18-3-3 with a total of 82 points in 62 games played. The Bruins were absolutely playoff bound with 14 regular season games left in the regular season.
The Pawtucket Red Sox (also known as the Paw Sox) were set to open up their final season at McCoy Stadium on Thursday April 9th against the Syracuse Mets before they relocate to Polar Park in Worcester, Massachusetts for the 2021 baseball season.
While we wait to see what happens with the current COVID-19 pandemic and whether the Bruins are able to finish their season compete for the Calder Cup or if that gets completely wiped out. We are sure that Paw Sox fans would like to go to McCoy and cheer on their team one final time before the move.
While nothing has been officially announced by either league as to when their respected seasons get to either start or resume the season, one thing is clear, the state thrives off of both sports teams. Financially; it would be a shame to see the remainder of the AHL season gets cancelled. That includes playoffs.
It will be devastatingly tragic to see the entire baseball season cancelled as well, as fans might not give their team a proper send off. Obviously this depends on what happens with the construction of Polar Park, which has been suspended until May 4th at the earliest.
The light will shine at the end of the tunnel at some point this calendar year, the real question will be if that will include Rhode Island’s sports teams or not. That has yet to be determined. Obviously we would need clearance from local and federal health experts to see if it will not only be safe to play, but be safe enough for thousands of people to see their beloved teams. That is an obstacle that will be the toughest to clear.